OUR CHEESE
P.D.O. MAHÓN MENORCA

Mahon-Menorca Cheeses D.O.P., are pressed paste cheeses, paralepipedic shape, with rounded edges and corners, have the Natural Flavour of our Island, declared a Biosphere Reserve by UNESCO. To make them we use milk from Minorcan cows and a method of millenary tradition (included in the Regulations of the PDO). Afterwards, the wind, humidity and light of Minorca are responsible for giving our cheeses their particular, intense and unmistakable flavour, which has become the attribute most highly valued by consumers. The taste of Menorca.

Within the framework of the Protected Designation of Origin, there are two types:

Mahón-Menorca cheese: Made with milk that has undergone some kind of conservation treatment, such as pasteurization. Moulds can be used to shape it.

Artisan Mahon-Menorca cheese: made with raw milk from the farm itself and using the “fogasser” (cotton cloth) to shape it.

Both have in common the same basic processes, but with these differences that affect the characteristics of the final product.

The conservation of the cheeses outside the ripening cellars, either in storehouses, restaurants or in our own kitchen pantry, must be taken care of due to the difficulty of maintaining a correct temperature and humidity for its conservation so that it does not lose its organoleptic characteristics.

The cheeses can be kept in the least cold part of the refrigerator, wrapped in shrink film or with a damp cloth to prevent them from drying out too much.

The optimal temperature for consumption should be 18 to 20ºC, so it is recommended to take it out of the refrigerator in advance for optimal tasting.

The history of cheese on the island goes back a long way; even to prehistoric times, as suggested by the ceramic remains of utensils used to make it, dating back to 2000 BC. There is written documentation from the 5th century AD referring to the consumption of cheese on the island and Arab documents from the year 1000 which highlight the excellence of Menorcan cheese.

Its foreign trade was already important in the 13th century; but it was during the period of British domination that there was a considerable boost and the origin of its name “Mahon”, the port where the product was shipped. In 1985 it obtained the Designation of Origin and its Regulatory Council was constituted.

Subsequently, in 1997, the protected name was extended to “Mahón-Menorca”.

The production process of Mahon-Menorca cheese (“formatjat”) has remained unchanged for a long time in all the Minorcan farms (“llocs”), where it is made following very old practices. As a whole, it is determined by a series of operations that have been passed down from father to son, and its correct application defines and gives rise to the authentic Mahon-Menorca cheese, although recently some modifications have been incorporated that are recommended by current technological advances. Mahon-Menorca cheese is matured in the ripening cellars, where the process receives the traditional rind treatment, consisting of a series of turns and oil and/or paprika smearing.