Goat Cheese on Tenerife contains essential nutrients and is a Hhgh-quality product that scores high gastronomically.
When you’re on Tenerife, you must treat yourself to the taste of local cheeses. They have nothing in common with the finest Dutch Gouda or the numerous abbey cheeses from Belgium. Not only Tenerife produces cheese, but the sister islands are also busy making a variety of cheeses. Cheese from cow’s milk, cheese from sheep’s milk, but especially cheese made from goat’s milk is a commercial success.
Queserías
Goat cheese doesn’t taste like goat and doesn’t smell at all like the front of a male goat, nor the back. Goat cheese tastes like goat cheese and is incomparable to anything else.
Canarian cheeses are all characterized by a strong variety in texture and taste. One thing they have in common is that they are made using traditional methods and all have a unique flavor and nuance. The best way to taste our cheeses is to visit a cheese factory. This way, you can see firsthand how cheeses are made on the Canary Islands. In these Queserías, you can immediately taste the diversity.
Quesos
Cheese was introduced to the Canary Islands by the Spanish conquistadors. Despite the fact that there were many goats on the islands, there is no evidence that the original inhabitants of the islands made cheese. In Tenerife, cheese is not cooked during the production process, it is simply coagulated with enzymes and pressed into molds. As a result, the crust is smooth, very thin, and almost completely white. The cheese itself is also white and contains small holes.
A young cheese here is called queso fresco. After a month, it is called tierno, after two months semicurado. A curado has been aged for at least six months and becomes very old and hard from seven to twelve months. Only then does it acquire the name queso viejo.
Tenerife
Tenerife exports more than 3,400 tons of cheese every year. All goat cheese on Tenerife is made from goat’s milk. Many varieties are produced, which is good for sales. Varieties of cheese increase sales, so you can find soft, salted, and smoked versions of each cheese type in the market.
The best cheeses on the island are produced in the municipality of Arico in the southeast of the island. To store milk reserves, the company has two tanks of 8,000 liters. The company has won several awards at the World Cheese Award, which is held annually in Dublin. This competition features 2,700 cheeses from five continents competing for an esteemed prize. All cheeses are tasted, selected, and nominated by 250 experts in various categories.
The Quesería Artesanal Montesdeoca in Adeje also makes traditional artisanal cheeses. This local producer has been winning awards for several years at the renowned World Cheese Award. The Quesería Artesanal Montesdeoca repeatedly wins awards with varieties such as Queso Semicurado Ahumado, Queso Curado Pimientón, Queso Semicurado Ahumado, Queso Semicurado Gofio, Queso Curado Gofio, Queso Curado Ahumado, Queso Añejo Macerado al Vino, and Queso Viejo Pimientón.
Not a few varieties, so plenty of choices.
Gastronomic Variations
On Tenerife, you can enjoy baked goat cheese with mild mojo and honey, known as queso asado. These are usually triangular or sometimes square slices eaten with bread. Preferably, the cheese from Arico with the mysterious name Queso ahumado de cabra is used.
It’s impossible to classify all the Canarian goat cheeses here, but there are derivative products worth mentioning. Almogrote, for example, is a thick mojo sauce from La Gomera made from grated hard and aged goat cheese mixed with dried peppers, garlic, small tomatoes, and olive oil, eaten as a spread on a piece of bread.
Cheese on All the Islands
Gran Canaria is also a major player in the goat cheese market, though its production is just enough to satisfy local consumption, so the cheese is not sold on Tenerife.
The cheese from La Gomera has a hard, ridged rind that is dark yellow in color. Fresh cheeses from La Gomera are slightly sour and salty. Aged cheeses have a spicier taste. The cheeses taste different depending on the type of wood used for smoking.
On El Hierro, no goat cheese is made. The cheeses produced there are made from a mix of cow, sheep, and goat milk because a single milk production cannot be sustained due to a lack of goats.
On Lanzarote, the cheese is made from pasteurized goat’s milk. Both inside and out, the cheese is white. It is much more sour than cheeses from Tenerife, and as the cheese ages, it changes color, first becoming marbled, then turning brown.
On Fuerteventura, the cheese comes from the majorero goat. This cheese, produced for centuries, has a mild flavor but becomes spicier as it ages. The cheeses taste of marjoram because the goats love this plant. The cheeses are officially called Queso Majorero.
In La Palma, the milk comes from the Palmero goat, a native breed. The cheese is semi-soft and whitish in color. With their lightly smoked flavor, they are ideal for appetizers. They are available year-round, but most production takes place from autumn to spring.
You can also find Manchego cheese on Tenerife, a very delicious cheese available in a wide variety. This cheese doesn’t fit into this overview. Unfortunately, it’s a shame because this cheese comes from Asturias and is a sheep’s cheese.
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Goat Cheese on Tenerife ©
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