Caxigón de Vaca
In an area absolutely dominated by blue cheeses, it is rare to find a cheese maker that concentrates entirely on other cheeses. Cabrales is an area world famous for its aged blue cheeses. So famous indeed that it is exceedingly rare to find any cheese that isn’t blue in the area. That would make the cheeses of Quesería Caxigón unique all by itself. The fact that all of the offerings are world class (and have the awards to prove it) makes these cheeses really special.
Where Is It From?
Maria Eugenia de Pedro makes her cheeses in Berodia in Cabrales. It is a village of 65 or so people nestled at the end of a winding road. There is little in the way of tourist traffic. An idyllic setting to be sure.
How Caxigón de Vaca Is Made
On average, Eugenia processes 800 liters of milk per day in the factory. All of that milk comes from animals in the immediate area. The milk for Caxigón de Vaca undergoes pasteurization before the addition of lactic ferments. Then it is warmed to 32ºC and industrial rennet is added. After 60 minutes the curd is ready. The curd is cut in the shape of peas and heated again to 36ºC. Afterwards they remove the whey and pre-press the cheese. It is then moved to plastic molds with holes for further pressing and draining. Eugenia leaves them for 24 hours in this step. During that time the cheeses are rotated so that they are pressed equally. Afterwards she moves them to an aging room where they rest for 11-14 days before packaging.
History
Juan de Pedro, Eugenia’s father, known locally as “el queseru de Berodia” has been a cheese monger and maker since 1958. He was part of the movement to rescue Asturian cheeses after decades of neglect. Called the renovadores locally, these people saved a number of Asturian cheeses from obscurity.
In 1992m using funds provided specifically to support traditional cheeses and cheese making, Maria Eugenia and her family decided to start a new cheese factory to make a soft, white paste cheese that went on the market under the name Quesu Caxigón.
The Cofradía de Amigos de los Quesos awarded Caxigón a Gourmet Excellence Award for Innovation in 2002.
Uses For Caxigón de Vaca
Common Uses: Caxigón de Vaca appears most often on a cheese plate, paired with others from it’s region.
How I Use It: I like this a lot in sandwiches, to be honest. It’s got just enough assertive funk to hold up to cured or smoked meats and makes a nice change of pace from more mundane sandwich cheeses. Also excellent with crackers and a berry jam.
Where To Find Caxigón de Vaca
It is easy enough to find throughout Asturias. Large supermarkets like Alcampo usually carry the entire range from the dairy.
The regular European mail order houses can source it without trouble. Unfortunately, there is not currently an American importer for this cheese.
