Guarantee of Origin (D.O.P.) Torta del Casar

‘Torta del Casar’ is a natural cheese produced using traditional techniques based on sheep's raw milk from controlled herds, vegetable rennet and salt.

The use of this vegetarian rennet extracted from the thistle Cynara Cardunculus, along with the master cheesemakers’ knowledge, generates an intense proteolysis during ripening when the rind is not yet fully formed. This makes the cheese cannot support its own weight and it tends to get flattened and puffed, taking an unusual shape that reminded cheesemakers from Casar de Cáceres of a flatbread, hence the name ‘Torta del Casar’.

The result is a light and thin semi-hard rind. Its main feature is a very creamy texture, which makes that sometimes, at certain point of ripening, it needs to be bandaged around to prevent the paste, of a white to ivory color, from leaking through the cracks of the still soft rind. It has dairy and vegetable aromas and an intense and developed taste, so it feels like melting in the mouth, very low in salt and slightly bitter. This last characteristic is due to the use of vegetarian rennet.

Source: D.O.P Torta del Casar (http://tortadelcasar.eu/que-es/)