🧀 Cabrales

Cabrales is a Spanish blue-veined cheese from Asturias, made from raw whole cow's, sheep's or goat's milk, or a mixture of two or all three. The name has been an EU PDO since 1996 (eAmbrosia PDO-ES-0081). ³

According to the specification, the milk comes from farms in the defined area, where the livestock is fed in the traditional way, grazing the pastures directly with supplementary fodder. The rennet must be of animal origin only. The cheeses are dry-salted, aired for about 15 days and then taken to natural caves for the final ripening. Ripening lasts at least two months from the making of the curd, mostly in caves. ³

The ripened cheese is cylindrical with smooth sides, 7 to 15 cm high; weight and diameter vary, but the diameter is never less than the height. The rind is soft, thin and creamy, grey to orange-brown with possible reddish-yellow areas. The paste is creamy and compact, without eyes, white in parts with greenish-blue veins. The flavour is slightly sharp, stronger in cheeses made from pure sheep's or goat's milk or a mixture of the two. Fat is at least 45% in dry matter and moisture at least 30%. The cheese may be sold whole, in halves or in portions. ³

Milk production, cheesemaking and ripening must all take place in the defined area in the Picos de Europa: 18 villages of the municipality of Cabrales and three villages (Oceño, Cáraves and Rozagas) of Peñamellera Alta. According to the specification, the ripening caves lie at 800 to 1,200 m, with humidity above 90% and a temperature of 6 to 10 °C, and Penicillium roqueforti grows on their walls. ³

Labels must bear the words Denominación de Origen Protegida Cabrales and the EU PDO logo. Each cheese also carries a numbered secondary label supplied by the inspection body (the Regulatory Board), which cannot be reused. ³

No spores added. Most blue cheeses are seeded with Penicillium, but according to the official description Cabrales is not: the mould settles naturally in the ripening caves, whose humidity and temperature favour it. ³⁴

A shepherds' cheese. Herds of cows, sheep and goats spent summer on pastures above 800 m with their owners. Far from markets and with poor roads, they turned milk into cheese on the spot. Jovellanos mentioned it in the 18th century, it was shown at a Madrid farm exhibition in 1857, and it was provisionally recognised as a designation of origin in 1981. ⁴

Why it matters to you. Goat's and sheep's milk are used in certain seasons, mainly spring and summer, while cow's milk runs all year, and the taste is sharper with sheep's or goat's milk. It is made from raw milk with animal rennet, so it does not suit vegetarians. The NHS advises pregnant women to avoid soft blue cheese unless cooked. Look for the numbered back label from the Regulatory Board. ³⁴⁶