Going cheesy in Andalucía

Beyond all the restrictive and globalising EU rules and regulations, there are still, thankfully, a few die-hards clinging onto their traditional way of life in Andalucía.  I have just had the privilege to be introduced to goat cheese making with one of our walking guests who has a farm in the UK and has a keen interest in goats, farming and the protection of the environment. Juan, one of the local shepherds, was happy and kind to show us how he makes his delicious cheese and he turned out to be a mine of information and a wonderful, calm and amused teacher.

We spent a couple of hours on his farm learning, step by step, all about goat cheese making as well as tasting the yummy end result, which is nothing like the industrial Spanish goat cheese you buy in shops!  The first step after milking the goats is to make the milk curdle by adding rennet to it - did you know that rennet is actually the membrane lining the stomach of a young goat? Juan told us that most people in the Serranía de Ronda used to make their own goat cheese and lots of shops in Ronda used to sell rennet. You cannot buy it anywhere nowadays though, a tradition fast disappearing with industrialisation and globalisation.

For the curdling process, you cut a little piece of the rennet and grind it in a pestle and mortar. Then you mix this powder with a little water to make a paste and add this paste to the milk. Juan had thankfully already milked the goats - there was about 10 litres of milk in a vat - and had added the rennet mixture. He checked if the milk was ready by sticking a wooden stick into the milk and he told us, if the stick stays firmly and perfectly upright, the milk is curdled enough to make cheese. Since the milk wasn’t quite ready, we waited for a while longer, sampling his cheese, looking at his goats and asking him all sorts of questions. We found out that he has always been a shepherd. He started with a handful of goats when he was young and his herd grew very quickly. His parents used to have goats and used to make cheese and he learnt from them. He stopped selling his milk to industrial cheese making companies because the price is far too low and not worth his while. Instead, he only milks a few goats and makes a few cheese to sell locally.

Once the milk is ready, it is a matter of separating the curd from the whey: Juan sat himself on a little stool with the vat full of milk in front of him and started pressing the curd down with his hands, very gently and repeatedly. This way, the curd gathers at the bottom of the vat and the liquid stays at the top. Then he scooped the whey out into another smaller vat. Apparently when the milk is warm, this process is quicker. The whey used to be added to the pig feed as it is very nutritious. Now he adds it to his hens and dogs feed.

Once all the excess liquid has been pressed out and scooped out, and only the curd remains at the bottom of the vat, it is time to place the curd inside a platted belt handmade with esparto grass that has been rolled twice and tied so as to hold the curd together in a round shape (see photo bellow). This makes an interesting pattern on the side of the cheese! These belts used to be made in Parauta and Igualeja, two Alto Genal villages famous for their esparto grass skills.

The belts were placed onto a grooved wooden board (allowing the whey to drain out). Juan filled the belts with the curd and patted it down, until forming a uniform round cheese. We tasted the curd and it was surprisingly sweet, a taste very similar to cream. Neither the milk nor the curd had a goat smell or taste actually.

Then the cheese is left to dry, being turned now and again. Juan adds some rock salt on one side, once the cheese is dry enough so as not to absorb the salt too quickly. The next day, he removes the remaining salt and turns the cheese over to add rock salt onto the other side. The salt is added to taste.

Then, it is a matter of leaving the cheese to dry further, cleaning it with whey everyday to remove any mould forming on the outside and after about 30 days, it is mature enough to keep for ages. In Andalucía, they like to preserve goat cheeses in olive oil or in fat. They eat it as a starter or tapas and it is also eaten with homemade Membrillo (Quince paste) and walnuts, which are a delicious combination! ChefShop offer a lovely organic quince paste: Membrillo (Quince Paste) - Organic by ChefShop.