Characteristics of Cheeses from Gran Canaria: types of Cheese In order to establish a league table of cheeses from Gran Canaria, we need to consider four factors which, all combined together, give rise to a huge variety of cheeses, all of them characterized by their extraordinary quality: 1. The first factor to take into account is the use of raw or pas-
teurized milk. The good health of the local flocks in the Canaries allows cheeses to be produced with raw milk and over a maturing period of under 60 days. 2. Another factor to consider is the type of animal species from
which the milk is obtained for making the cheese, these being sheep, goat and cow. Cheeses are made from each of these animals on an individual basis, and are known as “pure cheeses”. However, it is more common to blend the three kinds of milk in different proportions, with the resultant cheeses combining a richness of flavours and aromas afforded by sheep’s milk, the creaminess of cow’s milk and a touch of acidity and texture of goat’s milk. These cheeses are generically known as “blended cheeses”. 3. The production process of cheese entails the use of a curd-
ling agent that can either be of animal or plant origin. Most of the cheese made on the island uses animal rennet (obtained from the stomachs of lambs and kid goats) while some manufacturers use plant curdling agent to make their cheeses. This quite peculiar curdling agent is obtained from the flowers of the cardoon plant (Cynara cardunculus) macerated in water, which causes the milk to curdle. Gran Canaria is one of the few places around the world which uses this practice. Half flower cheeses are also made, using a mixture of plant curdling agent and animal rennet. 4. The final factor to take into consideration is the maturing time
of the cheeses. These range from soft to semi-mature and mature cheese. Soft cheeses have a maturing time of under 7 days, semi-mature cheeses take anything from 20 days to 35 days depending on their weight, while mature cheese take from 45 to 105 days. In general terms, cheeses from Gran Canaria are pressed paste and cylindrical in shape, featuring tones from ivory white to a straw-yellow colour, depending on the mixtures of milk used in the preparation and the maturing time. When sliced they may have tiny cavities, typical of raw milk production. They are often
Cheeses from Gran Canaria
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