Goats are the principally raised in Valencia, Murcia, Andalucía, Extremadura and the Canary Islands, although goats are raised all over Spain. Goat cheeses, as with all Spanish cheeses come in a variety of flavors and shapes.
Murcia al Vino: A goat cheese made from the fragrant milk of the cabra murciana or Murcian goat breed. The province of Murcia is situated in the Southeastern portion of Spain and has a very rough terrain and dry, hot summers. The cheese is made from pasteurized goat milk and has a smooth, light rind, which is rubbed with red wine. The cheese itself is dense and creamy and has a pleasant and light aroma.
Montsec: A hard cheese from the region of Cataluña, on the Eastern coast of Spain. It is snow-white and creamy inside and is rubbed on the outside with wood ash during the maturing phase. It looks chalky on the outside, but has a creamy flavor.
Ibores: A hard cheese from Extremadura, in Western Spain. It is a round cheese that has a semi-hard rind. The traditional presentation of the cheese is to cover it in paprika or oil, giving it a reddish hue and spicy flavor. The cheese itself is semi-hard, with small holes throughout the wheel. Inside it is waxy yellow or dark ochre in color.
Majorero: A cheese from the Canary Island of Fuerteventura, it is a cheese with a Denomination of Origin. It is made from the milk of goats of the Majorero breed, which graze in meadows, living mainly off marjoram. Its rind when not mature is snow white, although it turns an ivory color when cured. Oil, roasted gofio (corn meal) or paprika can be used to cure the cheese and the process can last from 8 to 20 days. It has a flavor with hints of honey and almonds, although its aftertaste is a bit peppery.
