| Manchego is named for the Spanish region of La Mancha, also home of
Don Quixote. This historic cheese is produced in the La Mancha region
from pasteurized sheep's milk. Cheeses from Spain are commonly made from
sheep's milk because most of the territory is rocky and dry, unfriendly
to cows but suitable to raising goats and sheep. The abundance of wild
herbs on Central Spain's grazing lands gives Manchego a special taste
and aroma. Its flavor is zesty and exuberant while its texture is firm
and somewhat dry. Manchego can be recognized by the zigzag pattern etched
into its rind. This is created by the rippled surface of the press used
in the manufacture of the cheese. Underneath the inedible rind, the interior
is ivory colored with few small holes.
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