Our Pyrénées Cheese Range

Aug 14 2024

The Pyrénées are one of the most famous mountain regions in the world, famous for extreme sports and a section of the annual Tour de France cycling race, but also as a 500km-long mountain range straddling both Spain and France. The valleys and peaks of the Pyrénées are populated with 2,500 lakes and also beaches, and as an oceanic region which borders the Bay of Biscay and the Balearic Sea there is also a multitude of flora and fauna to be found in the region.
Many natural reserves and national parks are situated in the Pyrénées, some of which are protected areas, and the Pyrénées themselves became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 for their “spectacular geologic landforms”. The Pyrénées are split into three areas, Atlantic, Central and Eastern. The west includes the Basque region of Spain and the Eastern is mainly in France. In between is the microstate of Andorra, an independent principality which nestles between both Spain and France.

Ancient traditions aid the cheese-making process

As a consequence of this national mixture, there are several languages spoken in the Pyrénées region, including French and Spanish, but also Basque and Catalan. In winter the area becomes a haven for winter sports, most popularly skiing and mountaineering, but also extreme versions of cycling and running. Perpignon and Toulouse are the most populous areas of the Eastern Pyrénées, with the latter one of France’s biggest cities with a population of 1.3 million. The area is still famous for its livestock however, with the many farms in the region still following an ancient tradition of moving cows and sheep from the farms in the valleys up to the higher grounds in summer.

Some of the oldest-surviving semi-hard ewe’s milk cheeses in Western Europe are produced in the Pyrénées, including our own Ossau Iraty cheese.

Three popular cheeses from the Pyrénées

Below are three popular Pyrénéées cheeses:

Ossau Iraty PDO cheese – This famous ewe’s milk cheese benefits from the ideal climate in the French side of the Pyrénées. It has a fruity aroma but is fairly mild in taste. It is smooth in texture but also firm, and to confirm its authenticity, the thick orange/yellow rind will have a ewe’s head embossed on it. Ossau Iraty is best paired with a black cherry compote, or a tomato and pepper chutney, while its versatility lends itself to being enjoyed with either a red wine or a sweet white wine.
Tomme des Pyrénées cheese – There are two variations of this cheese, one with a waxen black rind and the other with a natural gold rind. This cow’s milk cheese benefits from the high-altitude summer grazing that has always taken place in the Pyrénées. The milk is collected from the protected areas of the region and the strong flavour comes from a 21-day or 45-day respective ageing process of the Noire or Doree variation.
Bethmale cheese – This rare cow’s milk also comes from Medieval traditions but its dry, coarse rind belies a melt-in-the-mouth cheese which has characteristic small openings on its surface. There is a strong and tangy taste here which comes from a 5-6 months ripening period. Usually enjoyed post-meal the Bethmale is often used in recipes also, such as Bethmale Ratatouille.