Tetilla cheese . It is one of the most representative cheeses of the gastronomy of Galicia ( Spain ) and it is one of the cheeses with Denomination of Origin . It is made mainly with pasteurized cow’s milk from Galician breeds, with a minimum maturation of 7 days. Its conical, concave-convex shape is the one that gives it its name, because it resembles a breast or “nipple”; This shape is given by the funnels in which the milk is allowed to curd at the beginning of its elaboration, a characteristic that it shares with other Galician cheese specialties, such as San Simón cheese . It has Denomination of Originsince 1992 .
Summary
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- 1 Features
- 2 History
- 3 Elaboration
- 4 Serve
- 5 Sources
features
It has a mild flavor, a somewhat creamy texture and a slightly acidic and mild salty taste. The appearance is of a hard straw-yellow bark. The inside of the cheese is soft. It is sold in pieces with a nipple shape of approximately 1 kg.
History
Already in the 1st century AD. Plinio talks about some tasty Gallaecia cheeses that he calls “mamulas lactem” (milk mamillas. Consulted on 2-11-2012. However, there are theories that assure that this cheese comes from an 11th century nunnery , although what is clear, is that Galicia has always been livestock land and that Rubia Gallega cow herders had enough milk to make cheese.The tetilla was typical of the eastern part of A Coruña, which limited with Lugo, in the towns of Curtis , Arzúa and Melide . With the festa do queixo, this type of cheese, like other types of Galicia, have been gaining strength and prominence. The history of this cheese coincides with that of Ulloa.
Elaboration
The Tetilla Cheese is made with the milk of the cows that graze in the coastal mountain range. The cheese masters modeled the cheeses by hand. The milk curds and heats between 28 and 32 ° C, adding in this process natural rennet, the dough is cut into a large grain and once it is firm, the molds or cutlery are filled, which are lightly pressed so that the Whey is expelled, the process ends with the salting of the pieces in the brine. Salt was originally added to the dough. Ripening takes place in a fresh and humid environment typical of Galician lands, which lasts between 10 and 30 days.
To serve
It is a cheese with a pasty texture that must be kept in a cool place, but must be removed a few hours before being consumed. It can be eaten as is or, due to its texture, spread on toast. It can be accompanied by a glass of young red wine or an albariño .
