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Cabrales cheese is a pungent and full-bodied blue cheese made by hand in small batches in the Asturias region of northern Spain. It is cured in limestone caves under specific conditions and has a strong, slightly acidic, and salty flavor. It is an excellent cheese for melting and can be served with red wine, fresh figs, grapes, sweet sherry, and dried sausages.
Pungent and full-bodied, Cabrales cheese (in Spanish, queso de Cabrales) is a famous blue cheese made in the Asturias region of northern Spain. A true artisan cheese, Cabrales is made by hand in small batches under very specific conditions.
There are certain qualities that distinguish Cabrales among the blue cheeses of the world. No doubt many of these derive from the unique characteristics of its original geography. Cabrales cheese is produced in only one place in the world: in the village of Cabrales and its immediate surroundings, in the Spanish province of Asturias, at the top of the Picos de Europa mountains. Since the early 1980s, Cabrales cheese has carried the denomination “Denominación de Origen Protegida” (PDO) on its label, which authenticates its pedigree.
The rocky mountain in this region is difficult and rugged terrain. Thanks to water erosion, the deep caves furrow the limestone cliffs. It is in the damp, cold depths of these caves that the ideal conditions exist for perfecting the renowned Cabrales blue cheese.
The milk producers of the municipality of Penamellera Alta, of which Cabrales is a part, use the raw milk of their cows and sheep and goats in spring and summer, to produce the cheese. Authentic Cabrales cheese is made using the same techniques that have been used for centuries.
The caves in which the cheese cures for two to six months are carefully chosen. They must be at the right altitude, face north, sustain a relative humidity of about 90 percent, have a constant temperature between 7 and 13°C (45 and 55°F), and experience optimal air circulation.
Unlike other blue cheeses, which are injected with penicillium mold spores to create the veins of blue that run inside, Cabrales cheese cures from the outside of the cheese to the inside. Once the individual cheeses, typically on five-pound wheels, are set to cure in the limestone caves, they are rotated by hand occasionally, until the blue-green mold has permeated the paste or body of the cheese.
The inside of the finished Cabrales cheese is creamy and semi-firm, veined with blue and speckled with small pits. The yellow-brown rind is natural, sticky and strong smelling. The flavor of Cabrales is superior to that of many other blue cheeses and can be characterized by a strong, firm flavor that is slightly acidic and quite salty. It goes well with red wine, fresh figs, grapes, sweet sherry and dried sausages such as salami.
Cabrales is an excellent blue cheese for melting grilled or roasted meats. Mashed with a little unsalted butter or heavy cream, it’s delicious served as a spread for baguette slices, crackers, or fruit.
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