Spanish Manchego cheese: what kind is it and how can it be replaced?

For a full life in the diet of each person must be present dairy products, including cheeses.Spanish Manchego cheese is a real sheep cheese, which differs from all the others in its excellent taste. However, before purchasing this product it is very important to familiarize yourself with some of the nuances of its choice, the benefits and options of serving, as well as to know what kind of cheese it belongs to.

Manchego sheep cheese comes from Spain, however, is very popular not only in Europe but also in our country. This cheese belongs to the solid varieties, matures about 4 months, after which it is ready to eat. It has a delicate taste with a pleasant sourness. If a manchego is kept for about a year, then it is considered mature. At the same time, such a product already has a richer taste in comparison with the young.

Manchego is prepared exclusively from sheep's pasteurized milk.However, some cheese-makers may use fresh milk, keeping the product for about two months. The cheese head is cylindrical, usually with a ribbed crust on top. One head in weight is not more than two kg. Mature hard cheese has a yellowish or white-yellow hue.

It is quite difficult to imagine your diet without tasty cheese. Choosing a manchego, one can surely be confident not only in its excellent taste, but also in its great benefit to the organism as a whole. The product contains the following useful ingredients:

• Vitamins of groups A, B, C, D and E;
• Useful minerals;
• Amino acids and proteins.

This kind of hard cheese is especially often included in the diet of athletes and people who choose fermented milk diets.

Real Spanish manchego is especially useful for people who suffer from anemia. In addition, it is this type of sheep's cheeses that accelerates the processes of regeneration in the body, promotes healing of wounds and increases the body’s resistance to various types of diseases.

Depending on the exposure of the product there are several varieties of it:

• young;
• medium (it matures for at least three, but not more than six months);
• fully aged cheese (at least a year).

Manchego can be served as a standalone product or added to various vegetable salads. It goes well with side dishes, especially with wild rice, as well as bakery products, such as wheat tortillas. It is often served with dried tomatoes, olives and slices of traditional Spanish sausage. Manchego can be used in combination with lamb, pork and fish, especially with salmon.

Manchego is especially often used as an independent snack to good red wine. In addition, it is Manchego that is the basis for creating many sauces. Fans of everything unusual can even try to pickle this type of cheese.

If you do not know how to serve Manchego tasty and original, then we recommend to pay attention to this recipe.

For the preparation of snacks will need the following ingredients:

• 250 g of manchego;
• 100 g of oil (it is best to use not very fat butter);
• 4 tablespoons of honey (for example, sea buckthorn);
• any buns or tortillas;
• walnuts and sea salt to taste.

In a skillet, melt the butter until it becomes golden. Further, it is necessary to pour honey into it. To mix everything. Chopped in advance cheese should be spread on top of cakes or buns. Sprinkle with creamy honey sauce, sprinkle with nuts and salt. The finished snack can be served immediately on a beautiful serving dish.

As a rule, the taste of a particular variety of cheese is very difficult to replace, since the recipe for each of the original products is considered unique. As for manchego, this product can be replaced with feta cheese. Although the feta will be more salty, it is just right for salads, and it will be cheaper than the manchego itself.

Almost all sheep cheeses have a creamy texture. If there is a need to replace something with a manchego, then you can use the mozzarella you used to. However, it is worth choosing a fatter product, only then it can replace the original cheese. Sometimes on the shelves of supermarkets you can find suluguni with sheep milk, which can also easily replace manchego.

A tasting of Spanish Manchego cheese in the video below.