The market · Dairy and eggs · Southern Europe

Sheep's cheese

Firm, aged sheep's-milk cheese — nutty, buttery and a little sheepy. In the Basque Country it's Idiazabal.

nutty · sheepy · buttery

What to do with it

Kenji Hara's Sourdough, 100% ryeSheep's cheese would give it depthIbu Sari's Beef rendangSheep's cheese would give it depthRosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineappleSheep's cheese would soften its edgeMira Kowalski's Pierogi ruskieSheep's cheese would give it depth

Kinds

Idiazabal
Basque, from Latxa sheep; natural or smoked.
Manchego
From La Mancha; firmer and nuttier.
Ossau-Iraty
The French Basque cheese; mellow and sweet.

Goes with

quincewalnuthoneyred wine

Knowing it

Where to buy
Spanish delis and cheesemongers.
Worth knowing
Eat it with quince paste (membrillo) or walnuts; grate the harder ones like pecorino.

Kitchens that keep it in

Euskadi — northern Spain and south-western FranceBasqueA coastal and mountain cooking built on salt cod, peppers and olive oil — and on sauces made from nothing but the fish and the pan.9 classics · 1 cooked here

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