{"id":32589,"date":"2017-12-11T11:00:04","date_gmt":"2017-12-11T16:00:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/?p=32589"},"modified":"2021-08-24T15:59:56","modified_gmt":"2021-08-24T19:59:56","slug":"best-cheeses-year-mediterranean","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/developer83.wordpress-developer.us\/culturecheesemag\/best-cheeses-year-mediterranean\/","title":{"rendered":"Best Cheeses Of The Year: Mediterranean"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s great cheese nearly everywhere you look these days, whether you\u2019re planning to summer in the south of France or ski the slopes of Canada. Over the next few weeks, we\u2019ll take you to five popular tourist regions\u2014the Alps, the Anglo-Celtic Isles, Australasia, Canada, and the Mediterranean\u2014complete with recommendations for places to visit, fun facts, and of course, some of the best wedges and wheels in the area.<\/i><\/p>\n

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W<\/span>hether you call it joie de vivre or la dolce vita, most would agree that the people of the Mediterranean have an admirable attitude toward work-life balance. The same can be said of their approach to eating and drinking: The Slow Food movement originated in the northern Italian town of Bra, and the philosophy of preserving local culinary traditions and taking pleasure in sharing meals with others is predominant throughout the countries surrounding the Mediterranean Sea. Of course, the region\u2019s celebrated cuisine itself is a huge draw for visitors, in addition to the art, architecture, beaches, mountains, historical treasures, and mild climate. Cheese-loving travelers to the Med can taste their way through some of the world\u2019s foremost dairy delights; the following eight award winners are among the best of the best.<\/p>\n

FIOR DI NATURA SEMISTAGIONATO BIOLOGICO CON CAGLIO VEGETALE<\/strong>
\nCaseificio Il Fiorino, Roccalbegna, Italy<\/p>\n

Fior di Natura is one of the newest cheeses from Caseificio Il Fiorino, which celebrated its 60th anniversary this year. The organic milk for this pecorino is produced by sheep that graze in Tuscany\u2019s Maremma region, home to an impressive diversity of flora and fauna. Thistle rennet imparts a slightly sour, vegetal flavor to the well-balanced cheese, which is aged for 60 to 90 days (semistagionato). \u201cNot everyone was convinced when we decided to make a cheese with vegetable rennet,\u201d says Simone Sargentoni, who runs the caseificio with his wife, Angela Fiorini. \u201cBut it adds just the right touch of bitterness\u2014(it\u2019s) light and very pleasant in the mouth.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Fior di Natura<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

GIGLIO SARDO<\/strong>
\nArgiolas Formaggi, Dolianova, Italy<\/p>\n

The recipe for this aromatic, semi-hard pecorino was developed by Ennio Argiolas, who founded Argiolas Formaggi in southwestern Sardinia in 1954. He started out selling the intensely flavored Fiore Sardo, one of the island\u2019s most traditional cheeses, but his clients asked if he could create a new product that was more delicate and subtle. He eventually came up with Giglio Sardo\u2014now the caseificio\u2019s best-selling cheese\u2014made with local sheep\u2019s milk and aged for three to four months.<\/p>\n

ORGANIC SHEEP\u2019S MILK FETA PDO<\/strong>
\nKourellas, Grevena, Greece<\/p>\n

This pure sheep\u2019s milk feta\u2014from Kourellas, Greece\u2019s first organic dairy\u2014has a more intense flavor and creamier texture than feta made with mixed milk, thanks in part to the wild grasses and aromatic herbs that the animals munch. Matured in brine for at least two months, the tangy block is typically served sprinkled with olive oil and oregano, or used in salads, omelets, and spanakopita.<\/p>\n

PA\u0160KI SIR<\/strong>
\nPa\u0161ka Sirana, Pag, Croatia<\/p>\n

The beauty of this iconic Croatian cheese<\/a> begins with Pa\u0161ka ovca, the breed of sheep indigenous to Pag, a barren, windy island with an almost lunar landscape. Though the animals produce only a half liter of milk a day, the liquid is rich and aromatic, with an herbaceous salinity thanks to the sheep\u2019s unique diet of seawater-coated vegetation. Aged one year, Pa\u0161ki Sir is buttery and moist, with a pronounced but not overpowering saltiness and a hint of butterscotch.<\/p>\n

BLEU DU QUEYRAS<\/strong>
\nFromagerie de la Durance, Guillestre, France<\/p>\n

This balanced blue is made with the raw milk of cows that graze in the remote mountainous Queyras region of southeastern France. Milder and drier than Roquefort, Bleu de Queyras is aged for a minimum of six weeks and up to three months. Manager Christelle Alberge, whose father founded the fromagerie 25 years ago, says the goal is for the cheese to become increasingly peppery while remaining creamy as it ages. She suggests enjoying it with crusty bread or pain d\u2019\u00e9pices (spice cake).<\/p>\n

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Cala Blanc<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

CALA BLANC<\/strong>
\nLacto Industrial, Menorquina Ferreries, Spain<\/p>\n

Cala Blanc is the first non-Mahon cheese to come from the Spanish island of Menorca, according to importer Michele Buster of Forever Cheese, who challenged cheesemaker Pedro Pons to create something new. The winning result is this washed-rind cheese made from pasteurized, grass-fed cow\u2019s milk. It\u2019s mushroomy and relatively stinky, with small eyes in the paste and a beautiful golden hue.<\/p>\n

QUESO<\/strong> FRESCO<\/strong>
\nGranja El Parral, Barxeta, Spain<\/p>\n

A family-run farm and dairy in the village of Barxeta in Valencia, Spain, Granja El Parral uses a blend of sheep\u2019s and cow\u2019s milk from its own free-roaming herds to produce this queso fresco. \u201cAs soon as it is prepared and refrigerated, it is ready to be sold\u2014we sometimes distribute it to clients the same day it was made,\u201d says fourth-generation owner Jes\u00fas Calabuig. \u201cIt contains all of the flavors of the fresh milk.\u201d The versatile cheese is a tasty addition to salads and appetizers and is also traditionally served fried or grilled.<\/p>\n

ANDAZUL<\/strong>
\nQueso Azul, C\u00e1diz, Spain<\/p>\n

Made with the milk of the endangered Payoya goat, Andazul is the brainchild of Ana Isabel Rosado\u2014and the first goat\u2019s milk blue cheese from Spain\u2019s Andalusia region. It is also distinctive in that Rosado rubs the rind with extra virgin olive oil after it has been aged for three to four months. The result is a fudgy, buttery, approachable blue with a touch of mineral tang.<\/p>\n

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Queso Fresco<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n

FUN FACTS:<\/strong><\/p>\n