Manchego cheese PDO

Manchego (officially , ) is a cheese made in the La Mancha region of Spain from the milk of sheep of the Manchega breed. It is aged between 60 days and 2 years. Manchego has a firm and compact consistency and a buttery texture, often containing small, unevenly distributed air pockets. The colour of the cheese varies from white to ivory-yellow, and the inedible rind from yellow to brownish-beige. The cheese has a distinctive flavour, well developed but not too strong, creamy with a slight piquancy, and leaves an aftertaste that is characteristic of sheep's milk. The designation is protected under Spain's denominación de origen regulatory classification system, and the cheese has been granted Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status by the European Union. PDO requirements A must satisfy these requirements: It must be produced within designated parts of the provinces of Albacete, Ciudad Real, Cuenca, and Toledo, all in the La Mancha region. It can be made only with the whole milk of sheep of the Manchega breed raised on registered farms within that area. It must be aged for a minimum of 60 days (30 days for cheeses weighing up to ) and a maximum of two years. It must be produced by pressing in a cylindrical mould that has a maximum height of and a maximum diameter of .