One of the most famous names in food from Basque Country isn’t Arzak or Aduriz.  It’s not even a chef…it’s a cheese.

Idiazabal.

This sheep’s milk cheese is made in the hills near San Sebastián, traditionally from the milk of Latxa sheep. It can be found across the United States, and is second only to Manchego in terms of name recognition. Like Manchego, it is protected under a D.O. (Denominación de Origen) that keeps imposters from using the name..

Recently, Marco and Cameron took a trip to visit Quesos Aranburu, one of the region’s most award-winning producers. When we pulled up to the creamery, we were greeted by crisp mountain air and…Latxa! These long haired sheep traditionally graze in the mountains until it’s time to come down for milking.

We toured the creamery, learning the process behind making Idiazabal: the coagulating, the brining, and the aging aspects. In the cooler of the creamery, we saw the cheeses both before and after they were made ready for market. The cheeses that were still aging had a lovely, gray outer area, which is washed off to make the cheese more appetizing at the time of sale. Afterwards, of course, there was the tasting of the cheese, and we enjoyed everything from the barely aged cheese to an “old cheese” cream.

Delicious! If you’re not in the Basque Country, it’s definitely a cheese worth seeking out in a specialty store near you.