Description
The Roncal PDO is a fat cheese made with raw sheep's milk from Navarra and Lacha breeds.
Production Area
The production area of Roncal PDO covers seven municipalities in the Pyrenean Roncal Valley in the Autonomous Community of Navarre.
Production Method
The curds are obtained using natural rennet for a period of 30-60 minutes at 30-37oC. The temperature is maintained even during the delicate breaking of the curds, when the whey separates from the curd thanks to a series of cuts. The paste is then hand-pressed in moulds or in the press. The salting takes place either dry (by hand) or via immersion in brine (salt dissolved in water) during 15 to 30 hours depending on the size of the cheese. The ripening period lasts not less than four months, during which the cheeses are turned and cleaned regularly.
Appearance and Flavour
Roncal PDO has a cylindrical shape with flat faces; the rind is hard and rough to the touch, fat, brownish or straw-yellow coloured. The paste is hard, with pores but not holes. It is a fat cheese (45% of fat on dry matter) with a particular taste and aroma and with a slightly spicy flavour.
History
The origins of Roncal PDO go back as far as the 10th and 13th centuries, when the rearing of animals in the Roncal Valley has been documented, reaching a number of between 80,000 to 100,000 heads of migrating ovine livestock and remaining constant until the end of the 18th century. The tools used for cheese making can be admired in several museums of the area.
Gastronomy
Roncal PDO should be kept in a fresh, dry place. Once cut it should be wrapped in paraffined paper o a plastic bag (but not in cling film) and placed in the least cold compartment of the fridge (vegetables drawer). The cheese cannot be frozen. To appreciate it most, Roncal PDO should be eaten at room temperature. It can be enjoyed cut into small pieces as an appetiser or starter, for dessert, in a salad or in the preparation of many meals. As well as being an ingredient in many meat and vegetable dishes, it is also used in desserts. It goes very well with full-bodied or new red wine.
Marketing
The product is sold as Roncal PDO. It can be bought, whole, in portions packed in sealed or vacuum-containers. It can be identified by its logo and a numerated second label.
Distinctive Features
The first 40 days of maturing of Roncal PDO are carried out in a room at a temperature of 12oC and then it moves into a second colder room of 7oC with less humidity. This process gives a rind a particular hardness. Finally the cheeses go to a storage room (5oC) to finish their ripening period before they can be sold. Some people prefer a stronger taste and therefore they choose cheeses of longer periods of ripening than the compulsory 4 months.
