This handmade, unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese comes from the Spanish Pyrenees. Idiazabal is naturally smoked with a hard, but edible, orange-brown rind. In the old days, Basque shepherds lived in small mountain huts and had no space to store and age their cheeses other than inside their stone chimneys. As it turned out, people enjoyed the smoky flavor that the cheese acquired from aging inside the chimneys, and Idiazabal spread throughout Spain. Today, Idiazabal is produced in more modern facilities, but the process is still all-natural. The cheese is as delicious as ever, and the quality is more consistent. We love its perfume-y bouquet, and rich, buttery flavor and enthusiastically recommend Idiazabal as one of Spain’s greatest cheeses.
- Made from unpasteurized sheep’s milk.
- Photo depicts whole 7 lb. form of cheese.
- We cut and wrap this item by hand.