Description
The Queso Tetilla PDO is a cheese produced from the cow's milk of Frisona, Rubia Gallega and Parda Alpina cows.
Production Area
Queso Tetilla PDO is made in the north-west of Spain in the Autonomous Community of Galicia.
Production Method
Coagulation is exclusively made with animal rennet at a temperature between 28 and 32°C. Following the breaking of the curds, the paste is gently heated. Moulding is made in peculiar, characteristic moulds which give it its special shape. After the pressing, which last for around 3 hours, there is the salting during which the moulds are immersed in brine for a maximum period of 24 hours. Seasoning lasts at least 7 days during which the cheeses are turned and cleaned in such a way as they acquire their distinctive characteristics.
Appearance and Flavour
Queso Tetilla PDO has a conical shape and weighs between 0.5 and 1.5 kg. The rind is thin and flexible, it is straw-yellow in colour and without moulds. The paste is soft, uniform and creamy with a few holes and whiteyellow in colour. The aroma is slightly sourish with a hint of the milk from which it was produced. The taste is fresh and buttery, with an aftertaste of young grass, slightly acidy and salted.
History
Queso Tetilla PDO is an historic cheese from Galicia. Originally, production was concentrated in the south of the district of La Corunna and north of Pontvedra. It is mentioned, along with other cheeses, in a gastronomic guide from 1929.
Gastronomy
Queso Tetilla PDO should be kept in the refrigerator, wrapped in Clingfilm or tin foil. It is best eaten at room temperature to taste better its creamy consistency. It is excellent to use in dishes which require a quick melting. Plus, it is ideal consumed as a table cheese or just for snacks with bread. Exquisite to prepare savoury quiche filling but it also goes well with meat, to flavour the classic veal fillet or with raw, cooked and grilled vegetables.
Marketing
Queso Tetilla PDO is sold both fresh and semiseasoned. It can be bought whole weighing not more than 1.5 kg, in pieces and packaged.
Distinctive Features
Queso Tetilla PDO owes its name to the flat cone shape and protruding point which resembles a tetilla, breast.