{"id":16429,"date":"2019-07-10T10:00:35","date_gmt":"2019-07-10T10:00:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/devoursansebastianfoodtours.com\/?p=2390"},"modified":"2019-07-10T10:00:35","modified_gmt":"2019-07-10T10:00:35","slug":"idiazabal-cheese","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dev.devourtours.com\/blog\/idiazabal-cheese\/","title":{"rendered":"Behind the Bite: Idiazabal Cheese"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

This post is part of our\u00a0Behind the Bite series<\/a>: deep dives into the dishes that we can\u2019t stop thinking about.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Drive from San Sebastian out to the idyllic Basque countryside beyond city limits, and suddenly you’ll find yourself in another world.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

As the landscape gets even more lush and green and the sounds of Spanish are slowly but surely overtaken by those of Basque<\/a>, keep an eye out for the fluffy white latxa<\/em> sheep that call this region home. Once you see them, you can be sure you’re in Idiazabal country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While manchego may get all the credit when it comes to Spanish queso<\/em>, Idiazabal cheese is giving its better-known Castilian counterpart a run for its money. From its humble roots in rolling green pastures, to the bustling pintxos bars of San Sebastian<\/a> and Bilbao, to a place of honor among the handpicked ingredients at some of the Basque Country’s most highly revered restaurants, it’s making waves in its home region and beyond. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Need a primer? Here’s everything you need to know about your new favorite cheese.<\/p>\n\n\n

\"Idiazabal<\/figure>\n\n\n

Idiazabal Cheese 101: History & Characteristics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

At first glance, it may seem that the story of Idiazabal cheese\u2014pronounced “ee-dee-a-THA-bahl”\u2014is relatively short. The denominaci\u00f3n de origen<\/em> was only established in 1987, with the goal of finally putting a name to the product that inhabitants of the Basque Country and Navarra have enjoyed for millennia. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That’s right: the principles of Idiazabal cheese have remained virtually unchanged for more than 8,000 years<\/a>. Even the Basque shepherds who raise the latxa<\/em> sheep that provide the milk for the cheese still follow the same ancient pastoral routes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

And just what, exactly, are these age-old guidelines to which Idiazabal cheese still adheres? According to the D.O. Queso Idiaz\u00e1bal official website<\/a>, in order to earn the prestigious label, a cheese must:<\/p>\n\n\n\n