Livestock farming in the Canaries hardly evolved at all during the previous two centuries. The farmer’s cattle consisted of animals that would help work the land, such as donkeys, oxen, cows and camels, as well as flocks of ruminants, such as sheep and goats.
The goat, as the predominant animal, provided an invaluable resource for the ancient indigenous population. From them they would obtain milk, cheese, meat, fats, and leather for clothing and footwear. They would also make use of the horns for tools.
Bearing in mind the difficult conditions of our landscape, the goat is one of the biggest producers of milk. Lanzarote goats are also, fortunately, free of the main diseases that afflict this species. In addition, the traditional techniques of cheesemaking have evolved to offer a hygienic and safe product.
The main type of goat on the island is a native breed to Lanzarote, which comes in a variety of colours, is hardy and perfectly adapted to arid areas.
Lanzarote cheese is made with 100% raw goat’s milk. It is set using enzymes which maintain the vitamins of the milk in the cheese. The resulting mixture of this process is pressed but not cooked, which helps to preserve the cheese’s excellent original properties.
The crust’s colour is white, the same as the cheese when cut. The exterior crust is very thin and is characterised by the traditional pattern of a surrounding plaited palm leaf strip. The cheese is smooth tasting and pleasing to the palate, with a delicate aroma. The mature cheeses acquire an external tone that can be anything from marble white to dark brown in colour. For a cheese with a stronger flavour, there are naturally shaped smoked cheeses, or the original, smooth-tasting cheese covered with a layer of gofio (grounded, toasted cereals) or pepper.
The type of cheese produced depends on the production time, and will fall into one of the following categories:
FRESH CHEESE (Queso Fresco): A product made from Canarian goat’s milk without any additional fermentation. It is of a cylindrical shape and pearly-white colour and has a fresh goats’ milk aroma and a characteristic taste of fresh, smooth and milky cheese. It is solid when cut and has a granular texture. It comes with the imprint of the palm leaf strip around the edge, and that of the cheesemaker on the top and bottom.
SOFT CHEESE (Queso Tierno): A product made from goat’s milk and to which probiotics and rennet are added, at just the right temperature, to help set the cheese. It is white in colour with a light marble tone. The cheese is solid when cut and has a creamy texture. It comes with a crust of a yellowish white colour and the imprint of the palm leaf strip on the sides and that of the cheesemaker on the top and bottom.
SEMI-CURED CHEESE (Queso Semicurado): It is made from Canarian goat’s cheese to which probiotics and rennet are added, at just the right temperature, to help it set. It has a light marble tone and a creamy, milky and slightly sour taste, with a light hint of the goat’s milk. This type of cheese also comes in other varieties such as semi-cured covered with a layer of pepper and semi-cured covered with a layer of gofio (ground, toasted cereals). The cheese is solid when cut and of a creamy texture. The yellowish brown crust has the typical imprints of the palm leaf strip on the sides and those of the cheesemaker on the top and bottom. For the gofio or pepper varieties, the crust is characteristic of these products.
CURED CHEESE (Queso Curado): Made with canarian goat’s cheese, rennet, probiotics and salt, it is also available as a cured cheese covered in a layer of pepper, and as a cured cheese with a layer of gofio. It has a yellowish marble colour and has a rich creamy and slightly spicy taste. It is solid when cut and of a creamy texture. It has a yellowish brown crust in which can be seen the typical imprints of the palm leaf strip on the sides and of the cheesemaker on the top and bottom. In the gofio or pepper varieties, the crust is characteristic of these products.
