Top Stories » Expert Columns » Profiles & Trends

Cheesemakers in Spain have managed to debunk at least two myths surrounding specialty cheese. First, they have shown that a cheese can be manufactured in a large, gleaming, stainless steel factory and still have character, flavor, and a sense of originality. They have also demonstrated -- perhaps better than any other cheesemaking country in the world -- that milk for great cheese doesn't have to come from a single breed of animal. Indeed, mixed-milk cheeses made in varying proportions at different times of the year account for more than 50 percent of the cheeses produced and consumed in the decidedly cheese-loving country of Spain. That rather astounding figure is mainly due to one cheese, IbErico, a modern cheese that is appropriately named for the peninsula that Spain shares with Portugal. It's appropriate because there is no set area in which IbErico is produced -- versions of it are made throughout the country -- and because it is the most widely consumed cheese in Spain, and is quickly becoming a favorite among aficionados here.
IbErico is a relatively new cheese that was created by the Asociacion Nacional de Fabricantes de Queso (National Association of Cheese Manufacturers) in order to have a cheese representative of the unique character of the country's mixed-milk cheeses, defined officially as having a slight acidity from the cow's milk, a sharp flavor and white color from the goat, and a deeper flavor and buttery texture from the sheep. It is a pasteurized-milk cheese that is pressed and uncooked, with a curing period that usually lasts between one and three months. While it is never an assertive cheese, some versions achieve a rich, full, buttery flavor that is sometimes even nutty, an unusual characteristic for a cheese in which the curds remain uncooked. Recent quality standards have come into play for IbErico and other mixed-milk varieties that stipulate that the amount of cow's milk must not exceed 60 percent, and that a minimum of 10 percent be maintained for both sheep's and goat's milks. IbErico is made in cylindrical wheels that range from one to three kilos (2.2 to 6.6 pounds) in weight and are marked with a distinctive zigzag pattern around the sides that emulates the traditional esparto grass molds once used to make Manchego, and a wheat ear imprint on its top and bottom. All in all, the size and markings of IbErico resemble Manchego, a cheese that is easily Spain's most recognizable -- in and out of Spain. In Spain, IbErico is consumed the same way Americans gobble up blocks of indifferently made orange Cheddar, only it is much more interesting as befits a country with such a noble culinary lineage. IbErico is not a cooking cheese per se but is a terrific snacking or table cheese, and works very well in sandwiches, on salads, and as part of a cheeseboard. It pairs best with olives, nuts, fresh fruit, crusty bread, and young, spirited red wines, but will also go down nicely with beer or cider.