Top 13 Extremaduran Cheeses

Quesos Rufino is a cheese producer located in Spain. The company is known for specializing in artisanal cheeses, utilizing traditional methods that have been passed down through generations. They focus on producing cheeses using local milk, ensuring a distinctive regional flavor profile.Expand

Quesos del Casar is a traditional cheesemaker based in Casar de Cáceres, in the Extremadura region of southwestern Spain, founded in 1985 with the aim of preserving and revitalizing local cheesemaking heritage. The dairy is best known for producing Torta del Casar DOP, one of Spain’s most distinctive protected designation of origin cheeses, while also offering a broader range of artisanal products. Production is rooted in the use of raw sheep’s milk from local breeds and the traditional vegetable rennet made from cardoon thistle, a defining feature of the region. Quesos del Casar combines time-honored techniques with modern quality control standards, maintaining the authentic character of its cheeses. Particular emphasis is placed on milk provenance, handcrafted production, and careful maturation in line with DOP regulations. The portfolio includes several expressions, with Gran Casar representing its flagship Torta del Casar selection, alongside more aged and flavored variations. The producer plays an active role in promoting the gastronomic identity of Extremadura through participation in national and international fairs. Its work has also been recognized with awards for quality and sustainability, reinforcing a long-term commitment to responsible artisanal cheesemaking.Expand

Queseria Los Casareños is a cheese producer based in Spain. They specialize in crafting traditional Spanish cheeses. This family-owned business operates in the region of Extremadura. They use both cow's and goat's milk for their cheese products. Their cheese varieties include Torta del Casar, a Denomination of Origin (D.O.) protected cheese.Expand

El Prado De Llera, S.L. is a cheese producer based in Spain, specifically located in the region of Badajoz, Extremadura. The company specializes in producing sheep's milk cheeses, which include varieties such as Torta del Casar and Queso de la Serena, both of which are protected by denominations of origin. These cheeses are known for their creamy texture and distinctive flavors.Expand

Naturser is a cheese producer based in Spain, specifically in the region of Extremadura. The company is known for producing Torta del Casar, a traditional Spanish cheese made from sheep's milk. This cheese is characterized by its creamy texture and strong, slightly bitter flavor. Arteserena utilizes traditional cheese-making methods, adhering to strict Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) guidelines to ensure the authenticity and quality of their products.Expand

Quesería Tierra de Barros is a cheese producer located in Spain, specifically in the region of Extremadura. This company specializes in producing traditional Spanish cheeses, utilizing local milk sources to ensure the authenticity and quality of their products. Their range typically includes varieties such as Torta del Casar and other sheep's milk cheeses, adhering to traditional cheese-making techniques passed down through generations.Expand

Finca Pascualete is a family-owned farm and cheese producer located in the Extremadura region of southwestern Spain. The farm spans over 4,000 hectares, making it one of the largest private estates in the southeastern part of Spain. Their Merino sheep graze freely, enjoying a diverse diet that includes various types of trees, natural grasses, wildflowers, and native plants such as rosemary, thyme, and juniper. This type of grazing contributes to the unique flavor and quality of their cheeses. All Finca Pascualete cheeses are handcrafted and completely organic, made from raw sheep’s milk sourced from their own flock. Their range of cheeses includes several varieties, with La Retorta De Queso being the most famous. This creamy, semi-soft cheese has a unique shape and rich, intense flavor, thanks to traditional production methods and the special diet of the sheep.Expand

Quesos Francisco Moran e Hijos is a cheese producer based in Spain. The company is known for its traditional and artisan cheese-making methods. They specialize in producing cured cheeses, often using sheep’s milk. Their products have been recognized in various cheese competitions.Expand

Quesos Morán Piris S.L. is a cheese producer based in Badajoz, Spain. They specialize in making traditional Spanish cheeses, particularly from the raw milk of Merino sheep. The company places a strong emphasis on maintaining artisanal methods and high-quality standards. Expand

Torta del Casar is a cheese made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk in the districts of Los Llanos de Cáceres, Sierra de Fuentes and Montánchez in the province of Cáceres near the Portuguese border. It is named after Casar de Cáceres, its city of origin, and torta or atortao, referring to its shape. Torta del Casar is a very rare delicacy since the Merino and Entrefina sheep, which are farmed in the traditional way, yield very low amounts of milk. An interesting fact about this cheese is that it is renneted with cardoon, a wild thistle, which causes the cheese to soften during maturation and adds a slightly bitter note to the final product. The cheese is aged for at least 60 days at 4 to 12ºC upon which it develops a semi-hard crust and a soft, creamy center. During this stage, it obtains its typical dropped shape and sometimes, a wrapping is needed to prevent the soft center from leaking. Its rind may be left untouched or it can be coated with olive oil. Torta del Casar is traditionally served whole, with the top sliced off, and it's then spread on bread and eaten with Kiwi, Jamon Serrano, and white wine. It should be stored at room temperature to stay soft and delicate, but the cheese can also be placed in an oven to warm up as well.Expand

Also known as Torta de La Serena, this soft cheese is produced in the Spanish southwestern province of Badajoz and made exclusively with raw, whole milk from the Merino sheep breed. To coagulate the milk, only wild milk thistle rennet is used, which is an ancient Moorish and Jewish dietary custom. After about 60 days of aging, La Serena cheese still has a runny consistency and is traditionally eaten by slicing off the top and scooping out the inside with a spoon. If aged for a longer period of time, Queso de La Serena becomes harder and develops a much stronger, creamy to buttery flavor. It pairs best with palate-refreshing white wines but also chilled sherries or semi-sweet red wines such as Fondillón.Expand

Tortita de Barros is a Spanish cheese originating from the region of Extremadura. The cheese is made from either raw goat's or, more commonly, sheep's milk. It's left to age for 60 days before consumption. Underneath its thin lace-wrapped rind, the texture is smooth and open, with small eyes unevenly scattered throughout the paste. The aromas are herbaceous and earthy, while the flavors are fresh, goaty, and milky, with a slightly bitter finish coming from the thistle rennet. It's recommended to pair the cheese with a glass of Barolo or Chianti. Tortita de Barros can also be baked, when it's usually sprinkled with marjoram and smoked paprika.Expand

La retorta mini is a smaller version of retorta cheese. The cheese is made from raw sheep's milk and it's produced in Trujillo, Spain, where it matures for at least 60 days. La retorta mini is round and small, with a creamy and soft paste. The color is ivory, while the flavors are rich and intense, and the aromas are floral and strong. The cheese is traditionally eaten with a spoon after the top cover of the cheese has been removed. It is recommended to spread it on toasted bread, then pair it with honey.Expand

Traditionally produced in the province of Cáceres, Ibores is a semi-soft to semi-hard cheese made from raw milk from the Serrana, Verata, and Retinta goat breeds. Ripened for about 60 days, younger Ibores is creamy, mild, and delicate in flavor with a pronounced nutty finish. Aged Ibores is semi-hard, more intensely flavored, salty, and even slightly spicy, also with a pronounced nutty finish. Both versions have aromas of goat’s milk, aromatic wild plants, and spices such as Pimentón de la Vera, if the rind was previously rubbed with oil and red peppers. The versatile Ibores cheese can be paired with a number of different wines: Albariños, Rueda verdejos, young Toro wines, or Manzanilla sherries.Expand