formatgeria la seu

Ahhh cheese! Wash-rind, fresh, pasteurized, unpasteurized; so many wonderful varieties each with their own story to impart and distinct taste to spring upon our palates. As I wrote in my previous post I paid a visit to Formatgeria La Seu the other day and comfortably nestled into a chat, over a tasting of three cheeses and a little vino, with the store’s proprietor, Katherine. She explained that she handpicks each cheese, and only stocks those that are her love. With 25 different types living in a temperature controlled room, along with olives, wine, and olive oil, you are bound to leave with a smile and hopefully a cup of her delicious formagelat, which is ice cream concocted with her own cheese. Katherine offers three flavors, Arzua-Ulloa, a sweet, mellow cow's milk cheese; a tangy goat from Galicia; and a blue cheese, which is quite savory as you can imagine. I had a taste of the Arzua-Ulloa and was in heaven. Mildly sweet, very creamy and the cheese flavor definitely comes through in a delightful way. It would be a perfect accompaniment to a berry compote or perhaps some fresh figs and honey.

From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of what I thought was Tetilla, it’s characteristic cone shape is hard to miss; however, Katherine explained to me that it was actually San Simon Da Costa, a smoked cow’s milk cheese from the Terá Cha region of Northwest Spain, boasting a very similar pear like shape to that of Tetilla. San Simon Da Costa is a Protected Designation of Origen (D.O.P.) cheese and can be made from either raw or pasteurized milk from Galician blond, brown Swiss, and Friesian cows. It is semi-hard and aged between 30 and 45 days, depending on the size.

Intrigued by what else Katherine deemed "stockable" I inquired about other cheeses she carries. As a fan of the stinky, blue veined variety, I was happy to see Valdeon enrobed in its signature sycamore leaves sitting pretty on her shelf. It is the only blue she offers, but what a blue it is. Haling from the Castille-Leon region high in the Picos de Europa Mountains, Valdeon is a strong, spicy cheese aged 2 to 3 months and made of pasteurized goat and cow's milk. It is smoother and easier on the palate than Cabrales, Spain's other famous blue from Asturias, which is more rustic in texture and pungent in taste. Valdeon is a Geographic Protected Indication (I.G.P.) cheese, rather then a D.O.P. Both trademarks refer to products that display certain qualities specific to a particular geographical area, i.e. damp climate in Asturias, and follow an approved method of production. The labels protect cheese from imitations and ensure that you are buying the real deal, but the main difference is that I.G.P. by law only demands part of the production to occur locally.

 

Moving on to the next cheese is Manchego. Surely not an unknown, but one of my favorites and this is like nothing you have tasted. Manchego D.O.P. must only be made from the milk of Manchega sheep in the "La Mancha" region of Spain, and is aged 30 days to two years. The sheep graze on shrubs and grasses of this vast plateau situated 600 meters above sea level and produce thick, aromatic milk, giving Manchego cheese its distinctive taste. It can either be made from pasteurized or unpasteurized milk, but Katherine only stocks unpasteurized, because she believes the taste is superior and I would have to agree. Pasteurization destroys all of the bacteria and in the end takes away the complexity of the cheese.

It is nice to know stores like this exist where you can wander in on a lazy day, have a chat, a bite of cheese, a sip of wine and walk out with a bag of goodies without having to second guess their quality. Katherine takes the legwork out of finding delicious artisanal cheeses and that is something to savor. For the dairy farmers it is a laborious job lasting from sunup to sundown; tending to the animals in grassy pastures, under the golden sun, creating a story with their weathered hands. As for us cheese lovers our job is easy. Manchego or Valdeon?

Formatgeria La Seu, C/ Dagueria 16