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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Spain, Castile and León, the province of Zamora

Zamorano PDOQueso Zamorano

Whole milk of Churra and Castellana ewes is set with rennet at 28–35 °C, cut into small grains, warmed to no more than 40 °C and pressed in moulds that print a woven band on the side. The wheels are brined or dry-salted, then ripened at least 100 days, or 60 days for small cheeses, into a hard, nutty sheep cheese. Made in 7 steps over 2 months. The longest step, ripen, turn and clean, takes at least 2 months (Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y L…) and runs at 10–12 °C (Otero V 2022). Lactic acid bacteria of the milk or added cultures does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2 monthsSet[zamorano-spec2014]Ripen, turn and clean
Temperature10–12 °CReported[otero2022]Ripen, turn and clean
AciditypH 4.8–5.8Set[zamorano-spec2014]Ripen, turn and clean

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe specification fixes limits, not a recipe. Finished wheels weigh up to 4 kg.
Whole ewe milk · Churra and Castellana breeds or their F1 crosses with Spanish Assaf; at least 6.5 % fat, 5 % protein and 17 % total solids[zamorano-spec2014]
Rennet · Dosed to set the milk in 20–60 minutes[zamorano-spec2014]
Salt · By brine or by dry salting[zamorano-spec2014]
Starter: not set by the specification

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: whole milk of Churra and Castellana ewes

Step 1 of 7
Collect whole ewe milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The ewes graze pasture, stubble and crop leftovers, with cereal and legume feed in winter and at lambing.

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

Zamorano is made only from Churra and Castellana ewes or their first crosses, whose milk is very rich (at least 6.5 % fat). Large wheels must ripen at least 100 days, and the ripe paste can show small white tyrosine crystals.

Milk
Whole ewe milk of Churra and Castellana breeds or their F1 crosses with Spanish Assaf
Paste
Pressed, hard; at least 45 % fat and 30 % protein in dry matter, at least 55 % dry matter, pH 4.8–5.8
Ripening
At least 100 days (60 days under 1.5 kg)
Size
Flat cylinder up to 14 cm high, 24 cm across and 4 kg

Related ferments

Variants

  • Small ZamoranoWheels under 1.5 kg may be sold after 60 days instead of 100.

Safety

The specification does not require raw milk. In a 2022 trial, E. coli O157:H7 added to raw ewe milk fell during ripening at 10–12 °C but was still found after two months, so raw-milk Zamorano depends on clean milk.

Hazards the sources name: Shiga-toxin-producing E. coli O157:H7; in a raw-milk trial it fell during ripening but was still found after 2 months.

History and sources

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

Zamora documents from the resettlement of the mid-11th century mention cheese, and local agrarian charters from the later 11th century list it among food given to vassals. The Catastro of the Marquis of Ensenada recorded the province's cheese and flocks in 1752. Small family dairies began in the late 19th century and grew into today's industry. Zamora supplies 18 % of Spain's ewe milk.

  1. [zamorano-spec2014] Instituto Tecnológico Agrario de Castilla y León, Pliego de condiciones DOP "Queso Zamorano" PDO-ES-0089, revision 1 (2015), with the single document published in Official Journal C 449, 16.12.2014, p. 3spec
  2. [otero2022] Otero V., Santos J.A., Rodríguez-Calleja J.M., García-López M.L. 2022, Behavior of Shiga-toxin-producing Escherichia coli in ewe milk stored at different temperatures and during the manufacture and ripening of a raw milk sheep cheese (Zamorano style), Journal of Dairy Science 105:6527–6535 (abstract)paper