🧀 Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa
Also known as: Garrotxa, Garrotxa cheese
Formatge Garrotxa (Queso Garrotxa) is a Catalan PGI cheese made from whole goat's milk with a fuzzy blue-grey mould rind and at least 21 days of maturing.
Formatge Garrotxa (Spanish: Queso Garrotxa) is a cheese with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) from Catalonia, made exclusively from whole goat's milk by mixed (lactic and rennet) coagulation. The production area covers the whole autonomous community of Catalonia. According to the single document, in the 1980s, when goat's milk output rose sharply, cheesemakers revived an old local recipe for a matured goat's cheese.
Milk and ingredients. Goat's milk (pasteurised), lactic cultures, rennet and salt; calcium chloride is optional.
Method. Receiving and storing the milk, pasteurisation, curdling, cutting, moulding, pressing, salting, drying and maturing. The cheeses are turned repeatedly until an even grey mould covers the rind; the mould may not be inoculated artificially. Maturing lasts at least 21 days.
Shape and paste. A regular cylinder with rounded edges, its height not exceeding its diameter, in two sizes: about 1 kg (diameter 14.5 cm ± 1 cm) and about 0.5 kg (10.5 cm ± 1 cm). The rind carries a blue-grey, ashy, fuzzy mould. The paste is off-white, firm and smooth; fat at least 45 % of dry matter. Aromas of fresh goat's milk and butter inside, with damp cellar notes from the rind.
Packaging and labelling. Packing takes place in the production area, in paper or cardboard boxes and never under vacuum, so the rind is not damaged. The label bears the name, the words Indicación Geográfica Protegida or IGP, and the PGI logo.
The cheese belongs to Semi-hard cheeses, Cheeses of Spain and Protected cheese names; its raw material is goat's milk.
Facts
| Raw material | Whole goat's milk, pasteurised 2 |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Catalonia |
| Duration | At least 21 days 2 |
| Legal basis | EU PGI, PGI-ES-02876; Reg. (EU) 2023/2872 3 |
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Formatge Garrotxa / Queso Garrotxa → kind of → 🧀 Semi-hard cheeses → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Goat's milk
- Part of
- 🧀 Semi-hard cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names, 🇪🇸 Spanish cheeses
Frequently asked questions
What milk is Formatge Garrotxa made from?
Only whole goat's milk, pasteurised.
How long does Garrotxa mature?
At least 21 days.
Does the grey mould on the rind mean the cheese has gone off?
No. An even blue-grey, fuzzy rind is a required feature of this cheese; it may not be vacuum-packed, so that the rind is not damaged.
Similar
🧀 Queso Ibores · 🧀 Queso de Acehúche · 🧀 Queso Palmero / Queso de la Palma · 🧀 Queso de Murcia al vino · 🧀 Queso Majorero · 🧀 Queso Los Beyos
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.