FORMAGGIO.IT

Il Portale del Formaggio

Gamoneu or Gamonedo

E-mail: genife_vete@hotmail.com

Dirección General de Ganaderà­a y Agroalimentación. Consejerà­a de Medio Rural y Pesca. Principado de Asturias

C/ Coronel Aranda, 33071 Oviedo

Tel.: +34/985105638 Fax: +34/985105517

"˜Gamoneu' or "˜Gamonedo' cheese is a full-fat, ripened cheese with a natural rind, made from raw cow's milk, sheep's milk or goat's milk or a mixture of two or three of these types of milk. It

is lightly smoked and has greenish-bluish streaks of Penicillium around the edges. The milk used to make these protected-designation cheeses comes from the following species and breeds:

» Cattle: the Friesian, Asturiana de los Valles and Pardo Alpina breeds and crossbreeds thereof.

» Sheep: the Lacha, Carranzana and Milschalfe breeds and crossbreeds thereof.

» Goats: the Alpino-Pirenaica, Picos de Europa, Murciano-Granadina and Saanen breeds and crossbreeds thereof.

Physical characteristics of the cheese:

» Shape: cylindrical with smooth sides.

» Height: 6 to 15 cm.

» Diameter: 10 to 30 cm.

» Weight: 0,5 to 7 kg.

The rind is natural and thin and forms during smoking, and is dark sienna in colour, with hints of red, green and blue. It has a Penicillium mould directly beneath it.

Chemical characteristics of the cheese:

» Fat content: a minimum of 45 % in dry matter.

» Protein content: a minimum of 25 % in dry matter.

» Dry matter: a minimum of 55 %.

» pH: 4,5 to 6,5.

Organoleptic characteristics:

» aroma fresh and pungent, slightly smoked, which intensifies with ripening. The taste has slight

smoky overtones; slightly piquant in the mouth, it develops a buttery flavour with a lingering

hazelnut after-taste,

» the texture is hard to semi-hard, and firm and crumbly; it crumbles easily when cut. Small,

unevenly distributed holes,

» the body of the cheese is white to yellowy-white, with light greenish-bluish streaks of  penicillium near the edges. The outer colour is a particular feature: on smoking, the cheese takes on a dark sienna colour and later on, when stored in the cave or cellar, the formation of mould gives it a reddish, greenish or bluish hue,

» Inside, the cheese has holes of mechanical origin.

The following traditional names are allowed:

» "˜Gamoneu del Puerto' or "˜Gamonedo del Puerto', made in the high mountain passes of the municipalities of Cangas de Onà­s and Onà­s (Picos de Europa) in small cheese-making installations on the plains or summer pastures referred to in the specification in the months of June to September. The cheese is made from milk from the dairy herds and flocks grazing on these plains, using a mixture of the milk of at least two of the three species referred to, i.e. cattle, sheep and goats. In any event, at least 10 % of sheep's milk or goat's milk is used.

» "˜Gamoneu del Valle' or "˜Gamonedo del Valle', made in the lower-lying areas of the region covered by the designation of origin belonging to the municipalities of Cangas de Onà­s and Onà­s. Production is not seasonal because the farming is semi-extensive, based on the pasture-farming system.

The geographical area is on the territory of the municipalities of Cangas de Onà­s and Onà­s in the Autonomous Community of Asturias. Production of the milk and the cheese and the ripening of the cheese take place in this specific geographical area.

"˜Gamoneu' or "˜Gamonedo' cheese is made exclusively from raw cow's milk, sheep's milk or goat's milk or a mixture of two or three of these types of milk. The milk is produced by animals feeding on the natural resources of the region, i.e. the grasslands, and fresh grass or hay from the grasslands. Exceptionally, cereal and legume concentrate may be used in periods in which farm-produced feed is scarce, usually as a result of the weather.

The milk is taken to the cheese dairy where it undergoes a process of lactic acid coagulation. The

amount of rennet and enzymes used is gauged such that coagulation takes at least an hour. At the

point of coagulation and throughout the entire process, the temperature of the milk is between 24 and 30 °C. When the milk has curdled, it is gradually and carefully cut into pieces 5 to 15 mm in size. This is followed by draining, which takes about one-and-a-half hours. The curd is placed in cylindrical moulds suitable for food use. Slight pressure may be applied to ensure draining is complete. Salting is done by covering the top and the base of the cheese with sodium chloride after 24 and 48 hours respectively. After removal from the moulds, the cheeses undergo a smoking process whose duration and intensity vary depending on the ambient conditions prevailing at the time. This process is designed to ensure proper drying and the formation of a dark-coloured rind with a texture allowing Penicillium to penetrate the cheese during ripening. This operation produces a slightly smoked taste, which is characteristic of the product but which is not predominant. The material used for smoking is ash wood (Fraxinus excelssior), heather (Erica sp.), beech (Fagus sylvatica) or other native non-resinous wood. Ripening takes place in limestone caves or cellars suitable for providing the cheese with its particular properties: an average temperature of 10 °C and an average humidity of 90 %. This process takes at least two months from the date on which the curd is made. During this period the cheese is turned

and cleaned to endow it with its specific features. This process ensures the development of the characteristic mould and yeast, which must come from the ripening installations and under no circumstances may be added to the milk. The Penicillium must penetrate the inside of the cheese and develop around its edges, producing the greenish-bluish streaks beneath the rind characteristic of the cheese.

Gamonedo cheese continues the region's ancient traditions of integrated farming of herds and flocks. This cheese was already being made in the XVIIth century, when it served to feed the "˜poor of the municipality', as referred to in a document about pasture farming addressed to King Philip IV in 1641. Other historical documents (Madoz Geographical Dictionary, XVIIIth century) contain numerous references to this cheese as a staple in the diet of the local population, but also to the specialised stock farming in the region and the existence of mixed flocks and herds made up of cattle, sheep and goats. These flocks and herds were looked after by their owners on the pastureland where the animals grazed during the summer.