CURED MERINA SHEEP’S CHEESE
It is, without a doubt, the best merino sheep’s cheese
Covap, the leading cooperative of Los Pedroches, elaborates this cheese in Andalucía and it is made with milk from the Merina breed of sheep. It features all the same characteristics and an exceptional quality.
Although Covap may be better known for its Iberian products like the pure cured acorn-fed Iberico ham or the Iberico back loin (which also bears the Elite Gourmet seal), one of its leading activities is the elaboration of milk and cheeses.
The cured cheese from Merina sheep has an extraordinary texture, aroma and taste.
1. Keep in a cool place.
2. Cover it well once it is opened in order to make sure it does not dry out.
3. It is preferable to purchase small amounts rather than leave the cheese open for a long period of time
4. Enjoy it as an aperitif or dessert¸ either alone or accompanied with dried or fresh fruit.
5. Grated over pasta and rice, it can be used to replace the classic Parmesan cheese and thus it gives a unique flavour to any recipe.
It is not easy to combine the cheese with wine. Hence the Spanish famous phrase: “Te la dan con queso” (To fool somebody) which summarizes the custom of many tavern keepers in the Middle Ages who would sell the sour wine to potential buyers after having feted them with cured cheese.
The cured cheese combines better with heavy bodied wines, aromatic Olorosos, Oportos or Ports, and late vintage wines. However, in Spain, cheese has also been considered to go well with red wine as an almost perfect combination. Nevertheless, depending upon the cheese, it is always better to rely on your own tastings and decide what drink you like better with each cheese.
Its protein content stands out with a high biological value (which is actually higher than a cheese made from cow’s milk), along with its lipids, minerals (phosphorous and calcium) and vitamins (A and D).
As it is a cured cheese, the water content is low and so the content of fatty matter is higher, with the saturated type standing out and the monounsaturated and polyunsaturated to a lesser degree. In addition, the carbohydrates (lactose, mainly) represent a small percentage, in contrast with the initially used milk.
The ideal calcium-phosphorous proportion turns the cured sheep’s milk cheeses into an excellent means to furnish a lot of calcium in a small amount of food. They are also a good source of vitamins, like A and D, in addition to B2, niacin and B12, which are involved in the metabolic processes of growth and conservation of mucous and tissues. Thanks to all the important nutrients which the cured cheeses furnish, they are a “must” in every healthy diet, although they should also be consumed with moderation.
By Emma Ruiz Moreno, José Manuel Ávila Torres, Teresa Valera Gaspar, Susana del Pozo de la Calle and Gregorio Varela Moreira.Spanish Nutrition
