...next year

Canary Islands

2009

in the

cheeseSay

Canary islands

Gran Canaria

Text: Marichu Fresno (Doctor of veterinary medicine and researcher for the Canarian Institute for Agrarian Investigations- ICIA) and Nacho Fresno (Doctor of Information Sciences)

Photographs: From the archives of : ICCA, ICIA, and the regulatory councils of the Denomination of Protected Origin of Palmero and Majorero Cheeses

The Canary Islands are known throughout the world as an important tourist destination. An exceptional climate throughout the year, a range of breathtaking landscapes, together with the beaches, national parks, striking contours, marine ecosystems, forests and volcanoes of the archipelago all represent a unique and idyllic whole that has made these seven Atlantic islands one of the most important holiday destinations in the world.

But the Canaries are much more than just that. The Canary Islands are also the territory with the greatest biodiversity in Spain and this obliges the country to promote development in the islands respecting the environment and the equilibrium between the economy and the territory.

In this objective of equilibrium and sustainable development, the protection of the primary sector in the islands plays a fundamental part. This is one of the priorities of the Canary Islands Government, which is determined to drive the development of agricultural, livestock and fishing activities in the Canaries with no obstacles to their success.

The Canarian cheese industry and support for traditional cheese

production in the islands is an example of this promotion. The islands have magnificent indigenous breeds of goats and sheep for the production of quality cheese, true gastronomic treasures of the islands that have throughout the years earned both national and international recognition and praise.

Next year, the Canaries will be the world capital of cheese. Gran Canaria will host the 20th World Cheese Awards, the most important competition in the world of its kind. It will also be the first time that this championship is held outside the United Kingdom, which means the quality of our products and the potential of this sector of the Canarian economy speaks for itself.

The horizon of 2009 and the holding of the world competition are both an incentive and a spur to continue to better the quality and the excellence of Canarian cheeses.

We have many reasons to be proud of our products, of the skill of our master cheese-makers, of the quality and the health guarantees of Canarian cheeses and the diversity that exists on each island. We have plenty of reasons to feel proud of these gastronomic treasures of the Canaries.

GastronomiC treasures of the Canaries

Paulino RiveroPresident of the Canary islands Government

The Canary Islands consist of seven main islands and six islets. Located in the Atlantic ocean, they form part of Spain, one of the most important countries in Europe. The seven islands: El Hierro, La Palma, La Gomera, Tenerife, Gran Canaria, Fuerteventura and Lanzarote, are all spectacular and very different from one another, seducing the visitor with an exceptional range of touristic offers. Profoundly marked by their volcanic origin, the Canary Islands are a genuine paradise which invites you to escape and relax. Immense white dunes and crystal-clear waters, lunar landscapes, shady woodlands, remote coves with brilliant black volcanic sand, volcanoes, long golden beaches…alongside small villages with historical and cultural hertiage. And since the islands have an average year round temperature of 22ºC or 71ºF, one can take advantage of all the islands have to offer at any time of the year.

Each of the seven islands is a world of its own, and despite the relatively small distances that separate them, conserve different customs and traditions and have different microclimates, endemic flora and fauna, and physical appearance. Four of the fourteen Spanish National Parks are in the Canary Islands and there are also over 140 protected natural areas and four Biosphere Reserves. Altogether, there are 1,386 autochthonous species and 540 endemic species.

As one of Spain’s Autonomous Communities, they are fully integrated into the European Union as one of its outermost regions. The immigration and customs laws of the EU therefore apply in the Islands, with certain special features. The Canary Islands have their own Economic and Fiscal Regime, with advantages for companies established in the region. The Islands have an autonomous government and an autonomous parliament with wide-ranging legislative powers.

As of 2007, there were over 2 million people living in the archipelago, with an average population density of 272 inhabitants per square kilometre. Because of their location in the North Atlantic, off the coast of the north western portion of Africa, the islands are recognised as a “bridge between continents” as they are at the meeting point of communications between Europe, Africa and America.

The total area is 7,446 square kilometres, consisting of 1,114 kilometres of coastline and 257 kilometres of beaches. El Hierro, the smallest island, has an area of 269 square kilometres, while Tenerife, at the opposite end of the scale, has 2,034. Gran Canaria has an area of 1,560 square kilometres, La Palma 708 and La Gomera 369. The area of Fuerteventura is 1,660 square kilometres and that of Lanzarote is 846.

Because of its natural beauty and temperate climate, the Canary Islands are a popular tourist destination. In 2007 alone, over 9 million tourists visited the islands.

The Canary Islands offer an exclusive combination of infrastructures, services and leisure activities making them one of the most attractive tourist destinations in the world and an ideal place for congresses, conventions, seminars, fairs, incentive trips and other such events. And the archipelago is only about two and a half hours by plane from mainland Spain and approximately four hours from the main European capitals, and there are eight airports providing constant connections with the European continent.

Furthermore, there are modern infrastructures, auditoriums, congress and exhibition centres with sufficient capacity to hold multitudinous meetings, as well as fast and comfortable sea and air connections between the different islands, modern motorways and top quality hotel facilities. Many of the hotels are equipped with large halls designed for these kinds of events.

The main towns on the islands have numerous modern shopping centres and leisure venues where you can buy modern, high-quality goods from the world’s most famous brands at very reasonable prices. Also, because of their year round spring-like climate, the Canary Islands are a real golfer’s paradise. The island have several courses with unusual layouts, dotted with its peculiar indigenous plant life. The courses, which are often laid out next to the sea, set up attractive natural obstacles such as deep gullies, or the ocean itself, which on occasions crosses the fairway creating a striking landscape and difficulties for players of all levels.

In order to obtain quality milk, the Canaries not only have extraordinary breeds but they also have a privileged situation in terms of health, free of brucellosis and of the principal illnesses that affect the species. There are strict checks concerning the raw material and for all the processes of preparation and maturation, all of which make the cheeses a completely guaranteed natural product.

Cheese is the result of concentrating the components of milk. Because of this, it is one of the most complete foods known to man, not only because of its abundant nutrients but also due to the balance of its components.

LIVESTOCKThroughout the centuries, Canarian shepherds selected those animals which produced abundant milk of exceptional quality, ideal for cheese production. But, at the same time, they were perfectly adapted to the different ecosystems of the islands, in that they were able to take advantage of the natural grasses, which are very different from island to island. Because of this, today we have magnificent indigenous breeds which are specialized for milk production in both goats, with the majorera, palmera and tinerfeña breeds, and sheep, with the canarian breed.

Cheese is the fresh or cured product obtained by the separation of the whey after the coagulation of milk. In the Canaries, milk is transformed according to the traditional methods of each island, with great care and precision. In each part of every island, the workers and the cheese masters carefully guard their secrets. Nonetheless, there are certain processes that are common to all Canarian cheeses.

Cheese is a natural product with a long production process that begins with proper care of the animals and continues with milking, which is carried out under the hygienic conditions put in place by the European Union.

As soon as it is obtained from the animal, the milk is filtered. For those cheeses made with raw milk, the milk is curdled before it gets cold. When using pasteurized milk, it is stored in refrigerated tanks until ready for use in cheese production. The coagulation lasts about 30 minutes. The natural rennet of goats, the thistle flower, and other commercial rennets are all used as coagulation agents.

The milk changes from a liquid to a semisolid state and when this happens, the curd is cut into small pieces to help with the separation. Afterwards it is pressed in molds. The size of the pieces and the degree of pressure applied vary depending on the type of cheese. Once pressed, the cheese is salted with sea salt or by immersion in brine. At this point, fresh cheeses are ready for consumption. Those that have to mature are conserved in special chambers where they acquire the characteristics by which they are known. Some cheeses are smoked with natural products; others are smeared with oil, gofio, flour and/or paprika. The Canary Islands have a long tradition of cheese production. Among the islands, Fuerteventura, Gran Canaria and La Palma stand out, and the traditional cheeses from each of these islands have received Denomination of Protected Origin status.

Canarian Cheeses

SHAPE: cylindrical. The sides have impressions in the shape of a braided palm leaf from the mold and the bases are impressed with the design from the bowl. The exterior rind is almost nonexistent and is white for the fresh cheeses and yellowish brown in the cured ones. The cheeses can acquire particular characteristics when they are coated with oil, gofio or paprika.

MILK: from goats of the majorera breed. For cured cheeses, small quantities of sheep’s milk from the canarian breed can be added. Centuries of tradition of the shepherds of Fuerteventura in the production of cheeses was recognized with the creation in 1996 of the Denomination of Protected Origin of Majorero Cheese. This was the first canarian cheese to receive this distinction and also it is the first goat’s cheese in Spain to be so honoured. The name of Fuerteventura is synonymous with wonderful beaches but it is also intimately associated with goats. It is not an accident that Fuerteventura is the birthplace of the majorera goat, with its exceptional milk that has contributed to the well-deserved fame of majorero cheese.

The quality of the milk and the shepherding of the animals in the particular areas of an arid island like Fuerteventura have a great deal to do with the nature of the final product. The majorero cheeses are full fat cheeses that measure 8 to 9 cm in height and 15 to 35 cm in diameter with a weight that varies between 1 and 6 kg. They may be made with raw or pasteurized milk. There are many varieties from which to choose: soft cheese that has been aged for 8 to 20 days, semi-cured cheeses aged for 20 to 60 days and cured cheeses that have been aged for more than 60 days. When cut, the interior is compact and white in colour for soft cheeses with ivory tones for the semi hard and hard cheeses. Soft cheeses are very easy to digest and their aromas and flavours are mild and delicious. Hard cheeses have a hard rind and a touch of acidity that is appropriate for goat’s cheese and they are slightly spicy. In aroma and flavour, they are unmistakable and stand out for their marked personality. Semi hard cheeses have intermediate characteristics that are ideal for all tastes.

FUERTEVENTURAMajorero Cheese

SHAPE: cylindrical with rounded edges with a flat face that has an impression of a flower. With a waxy look and yellowish ivory colour that is darker in the harder cheeses. Guia Flower cheeses tend to be used in cakes.

MILK: a minimum of 60% from sheep of the canarian breed although mixes with goats’ milk from local breeds (maximum 10%) and from cows of canarian breeds and/or crosses (maximum 40%) are allowed.

The Guia Flower and Guia cheeses are made in the hills of the districts of Guia, Galdar and Moya and are hand-made in the traditional way with raw milk. The production is very limited and so it is difficult to find them outside the island of origin. These are the only canarian cheeses that use a vegetable coagulate, the thistle flower, Cynara Cardunculus, for curdling the milk.

The cheese needs at least a minimum of fifteen days to age in order to develop its specific aroma and flavour, which is initially nutty with a slightly bitter taste and gradually changes to more pronounced flavours. Guia cheese is usually more acidic and slightly spicy.

Guia Flower Cheese and Guia Cheese

SHAPE: cylindrical. Those cheeses made from goat’s milk are fresh with an exterior white rind which is very thin while those made from sheep’s milk are a shiny yellowish colour. The hard ones are different tones of brown and ochre.

MILK: from goats of a local breed. Some other cheeses are made from sheep’s milk of the canarian breed or from blends of goat’s and sheep’s milk.

The fresh cheeses are delicious, very mild on the palate with an agreeable flavour with sweet undertones. When both the hard and semi hard cheeses age, they develop their full potential with a wide range of smells and aromas with nuances of goat’s milk and butter. Their flavours are slightly acidic and not very salty, with slight spicy and astringent touches, complemented by an intense and exquisite bouquet of goat’s milk. The cheeses made with sheep’s milk are usually consumed after aging for a few days. The flavours are fairly strong, depending on how long it has been aged, and tasty. In the end, they leave a delicious aftertaste of butter and notes of herbs.

Gran Canarian Cheese

GRAN CANARIA

The 20th edition of the World Cheese Awards will be held in Gran Canaria in 2009.

SHAPE: cylindrical. The sides are smooth or have small circular marks. The flat sides usually have small marks in a grid formation and a central impression with numbers and letters. The exterior colour of the fresh cheese is white while the smoked and hard cheeses have different tones from yellow to brown. The smoked cheeses also have specific parallel light and dark bands.

MILK: from goats of the La Palma breed (mixing milk from other species is not permitted).

La Palma stands out for its rugged geography and abundant vegetation and is known as the pretty island or green island. On its spectacular landscapes grazes a unique type of goat that produces delicious milk, ideal for cheese production because of the quality of its protein. The expertise of the La Palma artisans and the quality of their cheeses have been expressed in the Denomination of Protected Origin: Palmero Cheese. This well-deserved distinction is the first step towards protecting this unique cheese from imitations.

Both fresh and soft palmero cheeses are semi fat cheeses, the semi hard and hard cheeses are

full-fat cheeses. They measure 6 to 15 cm in height and 15 to 60 in diameter, and the diameter is understood to be between 2 and 4 times the height. Their weights vary between 0.75 and 15 kg. There are various distinctions when considering them: traditional palmero cheeses are made with raw milk. And the cheeses from herds that correspond to some large cheeses that weigh more than 8 kg which are made with the milk from grazing goats.

The paste is white and shiny, acquiring ivory and matte tones as they age. When cut, they are compact although they can have small irregular eyes. They have clean flavours and aromas that make them immediately recognisable as coming from goat’s milk. The fresh and soft cheeses are mild, ideal for any diet because of their easy digestibility. As they age, their refined aromas come out, with nuances of butter, herbs and sometimes natural rennet from suckling goats. An agreeable touch of acidity and spiciness complete the taste. In smoked cheeses, a delicious aroma of almond shell, pine needles from the Canarian pine, or dried tunera cacti all make them unforgettable.

LA PALMAPalmero Cheese

SHAPE: cylindrical, with an exterior rind with small bulges, varying in colour from yellowish to different tones of brown. It usually oozes grease.

MILK: from goats from the canarian breed, which is sometimes mixed with sheep’s milk also from the canarian breed.

The cheese from the island of La Gomera is characterized by its small size since pieces larger than 1 or 1.5 kg are not normally sold.

Like its cheeses, La Gomera is a small island that is almost circular in shape. The island has a rocky geography with spectacular landscapes and deep ravines. A great variety of plant species grow on the island, many of them endemic, which are responsible for the enormous wealth of aromas and flavours that can be appreciated in the cheeses of the island.

Gomeran cheeses are made with whole raw milk. When they are fresh, they are mild, although even when they are only a few days old one finds the personality that develops as they age. Besides having a slight acidity and a touch of salinity, they also have an agreeable aftertaste of goat’s milk and undertones of natural rennet. The mass is very compact and when cut it is usually has a smooth surface or small irregular and asymmetric eyes. These cheeses are smoked fairly intensively a few days after they are made in an enclosed space with the result that the exterior takes on a uniform colour. Rockrose and heather, which are burnt to create the smoke, are both recognisable in the aroma of the cheese. On a second level, nuances of fruit and herbs complete the taste. The hard cheeses are the ones in which the different tastes are at their fullest: robust, slightly spicy, citric and salty, with an intense aroma that makes them exquisite on the palate.

LA GOMERAGomero Cheese

SHAPE: cylindrical with a smooth exterior rind and the bases marked with designs from the cheese dish. When they are smoked, they are usually uniformly yellow but sometimes characteristic yellowish brown parallel bands appear.

MILK: from goats of canarian breeds; from cows and sheep of canarian breeds.

El Hierro has traditionally been an area very much involved in livestock-keeping. Unlike other islands in the archipelago, on El Hierro the herds are mixed and this is why their traditional cheeses are made with milk, usually pasteurised, from different species. They may be smoked or unsmoked and are sold in pieces that weigh between 300 g and 5 kg.

In Herreño cheese, one can appreciate an enormous range of flavours and aromas in the

milk from the herds that graze in areas where there is abundant indigenous fodder. Its texture is soluble and not very firm. It either has no eyes or if it does they are very small and distributed throughout the mass. The flavour is agreeable, sweet and not very acidic in the fresh cheeses, with bitter notes that intensify in the semi-hard and hard ones. In all cases, they are cheeses of great quality. Often the process of preparation is complemented by smoking the cheeses. According to the intensity and duration of this process, it is possible to tell the origin of the smoke, which usually comes from burning logs from fig trees or dried tunera cacti, from the taste of the cheese.

Since time immemorial, the people of El Hierro have produced a fresh, unsalted, day-old cheese which is used to make a typical dessert called “Quesadillas”, which is known on all the islands.

EL HIERROHerreño Cheese

SHAPE: cylindrical, with an exterior rind which is white and very thin. On the lateral surfaces, there are impressions of a braided nature. The exterior of the mature cheeses acquires a white-ivory to dark brownish-grey tone. In recent years, the island has made other non-traditional cheeses, with different formats, technology and origin of the milk.

MILK: from goats of the majorera breed. On the island of the volcanoes, the unusual nature of the land and especially the arid climate have meant that livestock is limited almost exclusively to native goats. These animals, adapted to graze on the steep lava flows, are capable of taking advantage of the scarce but rich natural resources, producing a milk of great quality that gives the cheese its peculiar characteristics. This characteristic diet is of great importance to the quality of the milk.

The cheeses of Lanzarote are made with raw or pasteurized goat’s milk and the weights vary between 1 and 4 kg. They are mainly eaten as fresh cheese but semi hard cheeses are also sold. Among its characteristics, the thin practically non-existent rind stands out together with its mildness, the sensation of moistness and easy digestion. When cut, its mass is moist and, like its rind, shiny white. Normally the surface is smooth but some cheeses can have small irregular eyes. Its flavour is frank and typical of goat’s milk cheese, slightly acidic, with sweet undertones. They are usually only salted very lightly. In the semi-hard cheeses, other fermentations, distinct from lactic, give a large range of flavours and aromas that are peculiar to and characteristic of these cheeses.

LANZAROTELanzarote Cheese

SHAPE: cylindrical. The fresh cheeses have a very thin white exterior rind and smooth lateral surfaces. The hard cheeses are of different colours, from yellowish to a dark brownish-grey. MILK: from majorera goats and especially from Tenerife goats from both the north and south of the island. Also mixed cheeses are made with milk from goats, cows and/or sheep of the canarian breed.

Just as with wines, an island of such varied landscapes as Tenerife could not have only one type of cheese to represent it. It is the largest island in the archipelago and its nature varies from forests and rich pastures to semiarid areas and lava flows.

The cheeses made with either raw or pasteurized goat’s milk are perhaps the best-known. They are usually consumed as fresh cheese. These

are cheeses that when cut are moist and white. Their flavour and aroma are characteristic of goat’s milk, slightly acidic, medium salted and very moist. In the hard and semi-hard cheeses made from raw or pasteurized milk, one can appreciate all the aromas and flavours that come from the processes that occur to the components of the milk while aging. These cheeses offer some exceptional sensations of taste and smell. In the north of the island, some small cheeses are smoked with aromatic plants, among which the frankincense stands out, which are highly unusual. Along with these, other mixed cheeses are also produced, which are of excellent quality, with a soft, smooth texture, and when cut have an ivory or yellowish tone. They have a very limited production but the great difference is that they make also cheeses from sheep’s milk. For several years, cheeses from lactic coagulation have been made with different coatings and novel formats.

TENERIFETenerife Cheese

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will host the World Cheese Awards in 2009Canary IslandsThe