Spanish cheese expertise please

[AyahuascaTrip]

This could be one of the least important threads in the history of MN but:

I love cheese, have yet to find one I don’t like, even that illegal maggoty one in Sardinia. However I’m in Spain/the Balearics fairly frequently and although I’m trying lots of highly edible cheeses they’re all fairly bland, I haven’t found anything that truly excites me 😀

My best cheeses in life so far include:

Parmesan (as in parmigiano reggiano)
Gorgonzola piccante
Feta
And things are not really cheese at all such as velveeta and similar for making chili con queso

Thanks if you can help!

Manchego?

Lidl manchego is delicious and their Dutch cheeses

Flor de escueva

Mahon cheese is very nice in Menorca. Been years since I had any though. We went to the factory when we were there last.

Think it is also called Mao

I like really young Manchego when it's fresh, and also the aged one you eat with dark honey.

I like Tetilla (cow's cheese from Galicia) quite mild, soft and buttery, the shape meant to resemble a breast. I've only seen it here in Borough Market. Then there's Cabrales from Austuria, a blue cheese that varies in strength depending on age. I also like Ossau Iraty from the Basque Country, not unlike Manchego, made from Ewe's milk too. It apparently has 'notes of toasted wheat, roasted nuts, fresh grass and wildflowers'. You can get it in Waitrose etc.
There are tonnes of Spanish cheeses though.

It sounds like you have been eating the very young cheeses - you need to explore some of the aged ones!
Try a really good Manchego curado - well aged!
Mahón - again the aged ones not the young ones

Thanks for the recommendations 😊 will look for some Manchego curado and mahón at earliest opportunity.

I have some tetilla at the moment, I love the squidginess and apparently it’s good baked (like Camembert) with stuff on top but unfortunately I’ve eaten too much of this one to try that!

Cabrales is a rich blue cheese.

Cabrales is going on the list too, thanks. I mean muchas gracias por (¿para?) la ayuda 🙏🏼

Manchego every time!

When we're in Spain we usually just buy a semicurado from the supermarket - it doesn't seem to have another name. It's very tasty!

It's Basque so not strictly Spanish but Ossau Iraty is lovely.

try the boob cheese from Galicia, it's called queso de tetillla or Manchego

Manchego is delicious, it's one of my favourites & widely available.

It's Basque so not strictly Spanish but Ossau Iraty is lovely.

Oh I'm addicted to that stuff!

This blue from Picos de Europa is amazing:

brindisa.com/products/valdeon-picos-de-europa?gclid=Cj0KCQjw4fHkBRDcARIsACV58_Fwz-1XJPkiyiuleVO1mYaE98V8Kyx-Mu-g7yWUHRAbLODZXzQF2AQaAhuvEALw_wcB&variant=13612487376957

Mmmm this is all sounding very promising 😋 thank you!

Idiazabal - the Basque Country cheese - is lovely.

Also a proper, old manchego (look for viejo, curado).

There was a Spanish cheese that won the best cheese in the world competition one year, it was absolutely incredible but helpfully I’ve forgotten the name

Picos blue cheese, as pp posted. It’s a strong blue cheese and it’s delicious!

yes apparently the nipple cheese is lovely!
and Idiazabal
Arzúa- Ulloa is really rich and creamy
Herreño
Torta del Casar
Manchego curado

Velveeta?? Food of the devil!!

What does maggot cheese taste like? Why are there maggots?

I second the valdeon picos. It's my favourite cheese. I worked in a cheese shop and have tasted hundreds of cheese. Picos and Godminster cheddar are the ones I always go back to.