Cabrales cheese

Cabrales cheese (Spanish queso Cabrales) is a natural cheese made in the artisan tradition by rural dairy farmers. This cheese can be made of pure cow's milk, but, depending on availability, can also be blended with some goat and/or sheep milk as well. All the milk used in its production must come exclusively from herds raised in a small zone of production in northern Spain. Cabrales is aged from two to six months in natural caves in the mountains nearby. In these caves, the relative humidity is 90% and the temperature varies between 7° and 13° C (45° - 55° F). These conditions favor the development of penicillium molds, yielding veins of blue-greenish color. Cabrales is sharp and tangy, and even more so when made with mixed milks. Like Gorgonzola and Roquefort, it is a famous blue cheese whose name is often copied by inferior imitations.

Note: Contrary to popular belief, authentic Cabrales is wrapped in aluminum foil, not leaves. Spanish blue cheese wrapped in leaves is either called Valdeon or Picon.