Galician and Asturian cheeses that win over the palate
A review of a dinner featuring award-winning Asturian and Galician cheeses, cod empanada with raisins and pork rinds: tradition, quality and a false anisakis alarm.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Galician and Asturian cheeses that win over the palate
A food lover's dinner has brought to the table a selection of cheeses from Spain's northwest worth analysing: a red three-milk queso de Pria from Asturias, smoked and with hot paprika, an Asturian pastor picón in the blue-cheese style, and an aged Villalpando sheep's cheese from Zamora with a Gold award at the World Cheese Awards. Alongside them, a Galician cod empanada with raisins, Galician pork rinds and village bread. The combination is a tribute to artisan cheesemaking tradition, though not without controversy: the presence of a possible foreign object in the empanada sparked a brief debate about anisakis, resolved when it turned out to be the stem of a raisin. Beyond the incident, the selection showcases the richness of the cheeses of Asturias and Galicia, with a clear dominance of blue and smoked varieties.
What makes these cheeses special?
The red three-milk queso de Pria is one of the most powerful: it combines goat's, sheep's and cow's milk, and is smoked with paprika, giving it an intense flavour and an unmistakable colour. The pastor picón recalls the blue cheeses of the Picos de Europa, a close cousin of Cabrales. Meanwhile, the aged Villalpando represents the essence of cured sheep's cheese, with a record that includes gold at the World Cheese Awards. These are products that leave no one indifferent, and that demand a palate used to strong flavours.
The empanada and the anisakis risk
Cod empanada with raisins is a Galician classic, but an observation about a possible suspicious structure in one corner raised the alarm. The dreaded anisakis, a parasite found in raw fish, came up in the conversation. However, the author clarified that it was the stem of the raisin, a natural part of the grape. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cooking fish above 60°C to avoid risks, but in this case there was none.
What is clear is that the gastronomy of northern Spain has in its cheeses and empanadas a heritage worth exploring. The open question is whether these artisanal products will manage to break through in a market dominated by industrial cheeses and ready-made empanadas.
Related debates in the forum
A food lover's dinner has brought to the table a selection of cheeses from Spain's northwest worth analysing: a red three-milk queso de Pria from Asturias, smoked and with hot paprika, an Asturian pastor picón in the blue-cheese style, and an aged Villalpando sheep's cheese from Zamora with a Gold award at the World Cheese Awards. Alongside them, a Galician cod empanada with raisins, Galician pork rinds and village bread. The combination is a tribute to artisan cheesemaking tradition, though not without controversy: the presence of a possible foreign object in the empanada sparked a brief debate about anisakis, resolved when it turned out to be the stem of a raisin. Beyond the incident, the selection showcases the richness of the cheeses of Asturias and Galicia, with a clear dominance of blue and smoked varieties.
What makes these cheeses special?
The red three-milk queso de Pria is one of the most powerful: it combines goat's, sheep's and cow's milk, and is smoked with paprika, giving it an intense flavour and an unmistakable colour. The pastor picón recalls the blue cheeses of the Picos de Europa, a close cousin of Cabrales. Meanwhile, the aged Villalpando represents the essence of cured sheep's cheese, with a record that includes gold at the World Cheese Awards. These are products that leave no one indifferent, and that demand a palate used to strong flavours.
The empanada and the anisakis risk
Cod empanada with raisins is a Galician classic, but an observation about a possible suspicious structure in one corner raised the alarm. The dreaded anisakis, a parasite found in raw fish, came up in the conversation. However, the author clarified that it was the stem of the raisin, a natural part of the grape. The incident serves as a reminder of the importance of cooking fish above 60°C to avoid risks, but in this case there was none.
What is clear is that the gastronomy of northern Spain has in its cheeses and empanadas a heritage worth exploring. The open question is whether these artisanal products will manage to break through in a market dominated by industrial cheeses and ready-made empanadas.
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (20 replies).
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