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Cheese from Spain, Extremadura

Queso de Acehúche

A cheese of raw whole goat milk from five local breeds, set with rennet at traditional doses in warmed milk. The curd is cut repeatedly, filled by hand into moulds and pressed only lightly so it stays moist, then salted by hand or in brine. It ripens at least 40 days, may grow a tacky smear rind and can be washed by hand ('sobao'), rubbed with oil or coated in paprika.

Fully documentedCheese40 daysPDO (EU, Reg. (EU) 2022/1106), PDO-ES-02621Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives no doses. Cheeses weigh 200–1,200 g.
Raw whole goat milk of Murciano-Granadina, Florida, Malagueña, Verata or Retinta goats and their crosses, not standardised[aceh-pliego][aceh-sd]
Rennet, in the traditional doses[aceh-pliego]
Common salt only, dry or as brine[aceh-pliego]
Oil or paprika, optional, for the rind[aceh-pliego][aceh-sd]

Total time across the recorded steps: 40 days

Start
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up to 4 °CpH 6.5–6.8

What changes: Raw goat milk is used fresh or chilled within two hours of milking

Step 1 of 6
Cool or use the raw milk
Time
up to 2 h
Set
Temperature
up to 4 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 6.5–6.8
Set

The milk must hold at least 7 % fat plus protein and at least 3 % protein.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

A cheese of raw whole goat milk from five local breeds, set with rennet at traditional doses in warmed milk. The curd is cut repeatedly, filled by hand into moulds and pressed only lightly so it stays moist, then salted by hand or in brine. It ripens at least 40 days, may grow a tacky smear rind and can be washed by hand ('sobao'), rubbed with oil or coated in paprika. Made in 6 steps over 40 days. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 40 days (Junta de Extremadura). Salt is up to 4 % (Junta de Extremadura).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 40 daysSet[aceh-pliego][aceh-sd]Ripen
Temperatureup to 4 °CSet[aceh-pliego]Cool or use the raw milk
Saltup to 4 %Set[aceh-pliego][aceh-sd]Salt
AciditypH 5–6Set[aceh-pliego][aceh-sd]Ripen

What makes this one different

Lightly pressed so it stays moist, and finished by the 'sobao', washing the forming rind by hand with wet hands, which gives a smooth rind with rounded edges.

Composition
Fat at least 45 % of dry matter; total dry matter at least 50 %
Size
200–1,200 g; cylinder at least 7 cm across, height no more than 50 % of the diameter
Rind
Waxy yellow to dark ochre; natural, paprika-coated (pimentonada) or rubbed with oil

Related ferments

Safety

The cheese is made from raw milk, which the specification says varies in composition and bacteriology through the year. It requires the milk to be cooled to 4 °C at most or made into cheese within 2 hours of milking, and kept at no more than 10 °C in transport. The finished cheese has a pH of 5.0–6.0 and no more than 4 % NaCl. It ripens at least 40 days. The US FDA says ageing raw-milk cheese for 60 days may not remove E. coli O157:H7 and Salmonella, and Listeria may grow in some cheeses while they age. The CDC says people at higher risk, including pregnant women, people 65 or older and people with weak immunity, should avoid raw-milk cheese unless it is heated to 165 °F (74 °C) or until steaming hot.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The specification cites a 1791 Real Audiencia survey of Extremadura (Partido de Alcántara) that records goat cheese made at Acehúche and a goat census of 3,100 there. It says the cheese was once used as barter, with shepherds promising a season's output to ripeners and dealers on a spoken agreement. Irrigation schemes of the 1960s and 1970s drew people from subsistence farming and raised dairy goat production. Acehúche has held a fair for raw-milk goat cheese since 2004. The name was entered in the EU register as a PDO on 27 June 2022 (Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1106).

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [aceh-pliego] Junta de Extremadura, Pliego de condiciones de la Denominación de Origen Protegida 'Queso de Acehúche'spec
  2. [aceh-sd] Single document 'Queso de Acehúche', PDO-ES-02621, Official Journal of the European Union C 108, 7.3.2022 (2022/C 108/02)spec
  3. [aceh-reg] European Commission, Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/1106 of 27 June 2022 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications ('Queso de Acehúche' (PDO)), Official Journal L 178, 5.7.2022, p. 1spec
  4. [casar2026] Álvarez M., Andrade M.J., Gómez F., Rodríguez A. 2026, Identification and Characterisation of Lactic Acid Bacteria from "Torta del Casar", a Semi-Soft Artisanal Cheese, Foods 15(14):2476 (read through PMC)paper
  5. [fda-rawcheese2016] US Food and Drug Administration 2016, FY 2014–2016 Microbiological Sampling Assignment Summary Report, Raw Milk Cheese Aged 60 Daysgov
  6. [cdc-listeria] US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Listeria Infectiongov