Camerano (PDO) is a cheese made from goats’ milk. The fresh, soft and semi-cured cheeses are made from pasteurised milk and cured cheeses can be made from pasteurised or from untreated milk. A distinctive feature of Camerano cheese is its series of external marks, produced by the “cilla”, the molds used to shape the cheese; they are made from plaited cane and leave their imprints on the outside of the cheese. My favourite is by far the cured cheese. The cured varies from white to ivory white in colour, with a firm, hard texture, and either very few holes or none at all. It has an intense and well-defined flavour.
The production area for the cheeses covered by the Protected Designation of Origin includes all the municipal areas in the Regions of Rioja Alta, Sierra de Rioja Alta, Sierra de Rioja Media and Sierra de Rioja Baja, plus several municipal areas in the Rioja Media and Rioja Baja regions.
There are references to Camerano cheese in the works of a famous 13th century poet, Gonzalo de Berceo.
Source: Queso Camerano Denominación de Origen Protegida and Cheese from Spain
Further information about Spanish Cheese with Protected Designation of Origin can be found here.
A Crime is Afoot 