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Home > Did you know? > Specials > Cheese FEATURE CHEESES: VARIETY OF HARD SPANISH CHEESES 
The following are examples of hard cheeses: in Central Europe, Emmental or Alpine cheese; in France, Gruyère or Central; in Italy, Grana Padano or Provolone; in Spain, Manchego; in the UK, Cheddar; in Northern Europe, Herrgardsost; and in Southeastern Europe, Kaschkaval.All hard cheeses share certain features: they have a firm rind, its consistency ranging from soft and easy to cut to rough and granulated. Hard cheeses can be classified into different families according to their manufacturing processes. For centuries, the variety of cheeses in Spain is as wide as the variety of its landscapes. There are over 100 varieties of cheeses across Spain, some of them with a limited production. Geographical features limit the production of certain types of cheeses to a given area. In Galicia and Cantabria, cheeses are mostly made with cow's milk, as these areas are ideal for cow herds, given their rich meadows. The mountainous area of Catalonia gives us the cow's milk cheeses Formatge de La Selva and Valle de Arán. . Cow farming is also widespread in the Balearic Islands, Menorca being where we find the famous cow milk cheese of Mahón. San Simón, a Galician cow's milk cheese, is often smoked with pear wood, which, in addition to giving it a special aroma, also extends its life. On the other hand, Andalusia and Extremadura are famous for their goat's cheeses such as: Los Ibores, Tietar, La Breña. In Spain, however, sheep farming is predominant, and sheep's cheese is made throughout the country. The Los Tambores cheese from Aragon, the Cerrato, and Esgueva cheeses of Castilla León or the Basque cheese of Orduña are all renowned. The best known Spanish hard cheese is Manchego. It is made from the milk of Castilla la Mancha sheep (manchegas), which give it its distinctive sheep's cheese aroma and flavour. Manchega sheep are the most extended breed, as well as the most important in economic terms.
Some of these cheeses are preserved in olive oil for up to two years: the dark grey crust formed over the curing period is characteristic of Manchego en Aceite (Manchego in Oil). Cheeses similar to manchego, made with sheep's milk, nowadays make up a long list of varieties found across Spain. Among them we find the Grazalema cheese, from Cádiz, with a very hard rind. Other manchego-type cheeses are found in Cordoba Los Pedroches and Serena. Cheeses made with a combination of sheep's, cow's and goat's milk are also renowned, especially the semi-cured varieties. El Roncal , from Navarra, and Idiazabal from the Basque Country / Cantabria, are sheep's milk cheeses with a very hard rind, offering a slightly spicy flavour and a distinct aroma. 
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