Burgos cheese

This is a fresh cheese which is traditionally made with ewe's milk, although today it is often made using cow's milk or a mixture of ewe and cow's milk. Either raw or pasteurized milk can be used (the second option is more common). It is curdled by means of enzymes and has a soft texture.

Tasting notes

With a slightly firm and creamy texture, it has a mild milky taste and as it is an unaged cheese it has no aromas deriving from the curing process, although it does have some from the salting process.


Other notes

It has a regular cylindrical shape and in its original presentation had a circular pattern of small triangles on the top, produced by the imprint of the holes made in the molds for draining the whey. The weight varies from between 1 to 3 kilos, although it is usually about 2 kilos.


Production / Processing method

Today it most commonly made with pasteurized cow's milk to which is added calcium salts and animal rennet, at a temperature of 28-30ºC, to obtain a compact –but not hard– curd, in half an hour at the minimum.

The curd is carefully cut into large pieces, left to rest in order to shrink, then the whey is drained. The curd may be salted before it is removed and replaced in the molds, where it is allowed to drain for various hours. Once the whey has been removed and the cheese has taken on its shape, it is ready to eat.


Geography / Relief and climate

Burgos is one of the highest Spanish provinces due to its extensive elevated plain. However there are still contrasts in relief between the eastern and northern parts, and the western and southern parts. Its altitude gives rise to its harsh winters, which are long and cold and with scant rainfall.

The province borders on the Cantabrian mountain range to the north, and the Ibérica mountains to the east and southeast.

The climate in the province of Burgos can be considered continental. With an average annual temperature of almost 11ºC, the average maximum temperature recorded is 36.2 ºC and the average minimum is -7.5 ºC. The winters are long, cold and hard, and the summers are dry. The rainfall is usually concentrated more in the spring with averages ranging between 400 and 600 mm a year.

Infografía Burgos Cheese buena
Burgos cheese