Dairy

Idiazábal

Idiazábal is a hard, pressed sheep’s-milk cheese from the Basque Country and Navarre, made from raw milk of Latxa and Carranzana ewes. Wheels may be natural or lightly smoked over beech or hawthorn—the smoked style is the one most drinkers of cider and txakoli expect, with a pale brown rind and a paste that tastes of toasted nuts, lamb fat, and clean mountain pasture. Eat in thin wedges with membrillo, walnuts, or roasted peppers; melt sparingly into sauces or shave over warm potatoes. PDO rules require local breeds and defined ripening. Unsmoked Idiazábal shows purer lactic-sheep character; smoked versions need only a light hand so smoke does not bury the milk.

Also known as: Idiazábal Ahumado