Cebreiro cheese . Cheese of milk of cow Gallego , whose registration with the European register of protected designations of origin .
Summary
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- 1 Geographical area
- 2 History
- 3 Denomination of Origin
- 4 Elaboration
- 5 Features
- 6 Status
- 7 Sources
Geographical area
It is made in the following municipalities of Lugo : Baleira , Baralla , Becerreá , Castroverde , Cervantes , Folgoso de Caurel , Fonsagrada , Láncara , Navia de Suarna , Los Nogales , Piedrafita del Cebrero , Samos and Triacastela .
This whole area has an oceanic climate of mountain . Agricultural activities are very limited by the continental characteristics , in particular by the cold temperatures and the presence of frost during the middle of the year. It is a more favorable territory for livestock activity , due to the presence of good natural meadows and pastures .
History
Its origin is attributed to the first monks who settled in the town of O Cebreiro, the place where the French Camino de Santiago enters Galicia . Two dozen Cebreiro cheeses were shipped annually to Portugal for consumption by the Portuguese Royal House during the reign of Carlos III .
In the book “General Geography of the Kingdom of Galicia” ( 1936 ), information regarding Cebreiro cheese, its characteristics and method of production is collected. Later, and already in the 1960s , Carlos Compairé Fernández published various studies on these cheeses.
Appellation of origin
There are producers that operate outside the Cebreiro Denomination of Origin using the shape and name of the product. All Cheese from the PDO CebreiroIt has a Back Label that identifies it as such guaranteeing the product standard. The same happens with any product in Spain, since a producer is not obliged to be within the Denomination of Origin. What if necessary is to be registered in the Galician Sanitary Registry, which is what guarantees the food safety of the product. This registry is regulated in DECREE 204/2012, of October 4, by which the Galician Sanitary Registry of Food Companies and Establishments is created, whose “ultimate purpose of the aforementioned registry in the field of food safety is the protection of the health through updated information on the vicissitudes of companies involved in the food chain, so as to ensure adequate scheduling of official controls and, in turn,
Elaboration
This cheese is made from milk whole pasteurized of cow breeds Galician Blonde , Alpine Brown , Friesian and their crosses. It follows a production process that includes a first stage of pasteurization of milk, to then pass to coagulation , with animal rennet or with other authorized coagulating enzymes. Then cut the curd into blocks of 10 to 20 mm of diameter .
After a first draining in the tank itself, the curdled milk is introduced into cloth sacks that are hung so that a second draining takes place, remaining hung for 5 to 10 hours. The curd is then kneaded to make a uniform clay-like paste and salted with sodium chloride. It is put into molds for the final pressing. The cheeses are then removed from the molds and placed in cold rooms at a temperature between 2 and 6 ° C for a minimum maturing time of one hour. After that time, the cheeses that are marketed as fresh may be released. It is optional to follow a post-curing process, in cellars with a relative humidity between 70 and 80% and a temperature between 10 and 15 ° C. The minimum curing period will be forty-five days. Cured cheeses will indicate this characteristic on their labeling. The cheeses must have a numbered counter label.
features
Matter fat is at least 45% and maximum 60% dry extract. It has a peculiar form of fungus or cap of cook , with a height of about fifteen centimeters in total and a weight ranging from three hundred grams and two kilos .
It is a matured cheese, which can be presented both tender and cured. Fresh cheese does not have a differentiated rind, and its mass is white and creamy, with a slightly acidic dairy flavor . When cured it has a slightly differentiated crust; the paste is yellowish and can be deep yellow and firm, acquiring a somewhat metallic, spicy and dairy flavor, with a characteristic aroma.
Status
Its recognition as a DOP has been requested . Once the national phase had passed, the request was published in the DOCE in January 2008 , thus opening the six-month period during which statements of opposition can be made. Meanwhile, it is subject to provisional protection by the Regulation of the Protected Designation of Origin approved by the Board of Galicia on December 21 , 2004 and ratified by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food on May 17 , 2005 , protection that will cease from the date the European Commission make a decision on the requested registration.
