Garrotxa a Spanish PGI Delight

Did you know – Spain has more than Manchego cheese and in fact is one of Europe´s largest cheese producers.
27 PDO cheeses from different regions on Spanish Main- and Is-land stand for a vast history and variety in cheese production.

On our spring trip to Vic and its renowned Catalan Cheese Festival „Lactium“ we got our hands on *Garrotxa*, in our case this year´s winner in its category by ‘Mas Rovira‘.

*Garrotxa* is a pasteurized goat´s milk cheese which once was handled as an endangered species and since 2023 is a proud member of the Spanish PGI cheese family.
Thanks to a surplus in goat´s milk production in the 1980ies and a resulting necessity for the production of aged goat cheeses, farmers in the Garrotxa region revived the almost forgotten recipe.

*Garrotxa* is traditionally obtained from the milk of Murciana goats and ripens for at least 3 weeks in caves where humidity and natural molds such as Geotrichum and Penecillium form the velvety, grey rind that successfully protects the ivory-colored paste.

The texture is toothy and soluble and pampers us with a light acidity, hinting to dried fruit on earthy grounds.
Gustav says he loves the fresh, milky aromas and that he would pair our Catalan table companion with a crisp white, or for the sporty ones just enjoy it with some bread and olive oil.