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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Argentina, Tucumán

Queso de Tafí del Vallequeso de Tafí

Queso de Tafí del Valle is a firm, pressed cow-milk cheese from a high Andean valley in Tucumán, made there since Jesuit times. Pasteurised milk is soured with a lactic starter, set with chymosin at 37 °C, cut to corn-size grains, cooked to 45–47 °C, pressed and brined. It ripens at least 30 days and is sold plain or spiced. Made in 10 steps over 32 days. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 30 days (Secretaría de Agricultura 2026). Salt is 25–33 % (Secretaría de Agricultura 2026). Added lactic starter bacteria and Non-starter lactic bacteria from the valley's environment, which enter the cheese from the first week of ripening do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 30 daysSet[tafi-ig]Ripen
Temperature2–4 °CSet[tafi-ig]Collect and chill the milk
Salt25–33 %Set[tafi-ig]Brine
AciditypH 5–5.4Set[tafi-ig]Press

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe amounts are from the GI production protocol, given per litre of milk or as a share of it; the protocol fixes no batch size. Wheels weigh 0.5–3 kg.
Cow milk from the delimited area · Fluid milk only; reconstituted milk is not allowed[tafi-ig]
1 % (w/w), or as the maker advisesLactic starter, commercial or natural[tafi-ig]
100–200 g per 1000 litres of milkCalcium chloride[tafi-ig]
Coagulant, mainly commercial chymosin · In the dose the maker advises[tafi-ig]
Sodium nitrate (optional) · Within the limits of the Argentine Food Code[tafi-ig]
Salt · As brine, or added to the curd[tafi-ig]
Spices (optional) · Chilli (ají), black pepper, oregano, pimentón or paprika[tafi-ig]
Startercommercial or natural lactic starter

Total time across the recorded steps: 32 days

Start
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2–4 °C

What changes: Starting material: cow milk from the valley, kept cold until it is made

Step 1 of 10
Collect and chill the milk
Time
up to 2 days
Set
Temperature
2–4 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Output: raw milk checked by titratable acidity or the alcohol test.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Although grouped with the uncooked pressed cheeses, the GI protocol cooks the curd to 45–47 °C, so it is a cooked, pressed cheese. It is made only from milk of the Tafí valley and El Mollar; the protocol credits its natural rind and drying to the valley's high, temperate climate of wet summers and dry winters.

Milk
Pasteurised cow milk from herds in the delimited area
Ripening
At least 30 days
Size
Cylinders of 0.5–3 kg; 5 cm across for 0.5 kg up to 25 cm for 3 kg
Rind
Natural rind under 0.5 cm thick; surface smooth or slightly rough and dry

Related ferments

Variants

  • NaturalSeasoned only with salt; white to white-yellow paste.
  • Con condimentosWith chilli (ají), black pepper, oregano, pimentón or paprika; the paste takes on the spice's tint.

Safety

The GI protocol requires pasteurised milk, kept at 2–4 °C for no more than 48 hours before making, and regular checks of the milk's quality.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Jesuit missionaries began making cheese in the valley around 1718. After the order was expelled in 1767, the estancias passed to private owners who kept making it. Domingo Faustino Sarmiento was a keen buyer; cheeses of the time weighed five kilos and were packed in tin. The valley's isolation kept the cheese local until roads arrived in the mid-20th century. A national cheese festival is held in Tafí every February.

  1. [tafi-ig] Secretaría de Agricultura, Ganadería y Pesca (Argentina), Resolución 31/2026, Indicación Geográfica Queso de Tafí del Valle, Anexo I (registration form and production protocol), Boletín Oficial 31 March 2026spec
  2. [saez2018] Sáez G.D., Flomenbaum L., Zárate G. 2018, Lactic acid bacteria from Argentinean fermented foods, isolation and characterization for their potential use as starters for fermentation of vegetables, Food Technology and Biotechnology 56(3):398–410paper
  3. [lanacion] Colombres M. 2004, Quesos con tradición jesuita, La Nación (Argentina), 30 December 2004web