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You'll see the initials D.O. next to the names of many of the artisanal cheeses described here. They stand for denominación de origen, meaning that the cheese has been recognized by the European and U.S. governments as being a specific food from a clearly defined geographic area, usually produced in a very specific (generally traditional) manner. Many shops in America carry D.O. and other artisanal Spanish cheeses; the varieties that follow are often available.
Idiazábal D.O. (eedeeah-TZAH-bal) Made from the raw milk of the Basque country's sheep. Compact, tender, almost buttery, with a color between white and pale cream and a somewhat piquant, nutty flavor.
Majorero D.O. (mahoe-RARE-roe) An unctuous, lightly acidic cheese made from raw or pasteurized goat's-milk cheese on Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands. The red- or ocher-colored rind carries the impression of the braided palm fronds that traditionally encase the cheese while it ages. The flavor is slightly piquant, with a fruitiness that recalls nuts and fresh hay.
La Serena D.O. and Torta del Casar D.O. Soft, creamy, ripe, aromatic, runny cheeses from Extremadura. Made from the raw milk of merino sheep and rennet from wild thistles, which lends the cheese a pleasantly bitter finish. Torta del Casar is usually even runnier than La Serena, so much so that it is often served by cutting off the top and scooping out the insides.
Garrotxa (Gar-RO-cha) Made from pasteurized goat's-milk in the rainy, heavily forested mountains of Catalonia, this firm cheese has a distinctive blue-gray rind and a mild, earthy, lightly acidic flavor with a long finish reminiscent of wild mushrooms and hazelnuts.
Gamonedo (gam-oh-NAY-doh) A semi-blue cheese (predominantly cow's milk) from the Picos de Europa mountains in Asturias. The mold that occurs naturally penetrates the cheese as it ages; thus younger cheeses have a creamy white center while older ones can be more blue throughout. Full rounds of this cheese typically weigh around four and a half pounds.
Manchego D.O. Made from the milk of Manchega sheep in a region within Castilla-La Mancha in central Spain. The texture can be semihard to very hard, depending on how long the cheese has been aged. Piquant, salty and slightly nutty, with a long finish, Manchego has a pattern on its rind made by the esparto grass form in which it is ripened—nowadays more likely to be a plastic imitation. Raw-milk farmhouse Manchego is probably very similar to the kind Don Quixote ate.
Tetilla D.O. (teh-TEA-ya) A semisoft cheese from Galicia, in Spain's green and rainy northwest; made from cow's milk and aged as little as 15 days, it is similar to American munster but with a much more developed flavor. Sweet, mild and lightly salty, it's ideal for melting. The breastlike shape gives the cheese its name.
Mahón D.O. (ma-HONE) A big (5- to 6-pound) rectangular cheese with rounded corners. Made from cow's milk on the Balearic island of Minorca, this ancient cheese exists in many variations. When young, it is tender and lightly acidic; aged, it becomes crumbly and rich, with a texture reminiscent of Parmesan cheese. In its artisanal version, it is made from raw milk and shaped in a linen cloth that leaves its fold marks on the outside.
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