Monday, March 2

manchego


Cheese: Manchego (Sheep's Milk) Aged 4 months
Origin: La Mancha, Spain
Price: $16.99/ lb

Adrift in the fancy cheese aisle of New Seasons, a young tattooed grocery clerk caught my eye and smiled inquisitively. He must've recognized my hapless expression because he immediately offered his services in cheese identification. Upon further inquisition, I mentioned I had started a cheese blog and was reviewing different cheeses each week. He laughed and asked if I had tried cheese from sheep's milk. He said that it was his favorite. "If you're going to start trying sheep's milk, you have to start with Manchego," he said with confidence.

Manchego is a semi firm cheese made from the milk of Manchego Sheep in the La Mancha region of central Spain (of Don Quixote fame). It's cave aged from 3 to 6 months which determines the robustness of the flavor.

As my new friend Charles was giving me a quick overview of spanish cheeses, another grocery clerk became interested in our jovial discussion. "You have to eat it with quince, it's how the Spanish do it," he interjected. Quince I learned, is a pear like fruit of Asian origin which has a figgy sweetness when made into a paste. "What do you eat Manchego with?" I coyly asked, directing attention back to Charles. "Crackers, bread...?" I trailed off. "Wheat Thins," he quietly admitted. "Wheat Thins? Really?!" I laughed. "My friends make fun of me because of my somewhat white trashy background but I like em," he explained further. "Well, that wouldn't be my first choice but I"ll try anything!" I encouraged. In the end, I purchased both the Quince paste and the Wheat Thins. This is the post modern era after all, the exquisite and the banal can make a happy couple.

2 comments:

  1. You should come back in soon. There is a few more that you might like. Thank you for such a rave review. You made it sound like Fabio with sleaves was helping you....rad.

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  2. Oh Alicia! I love you!

    Jill Pants

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