Abertam cheese vs Ossau-Iraty
Abertam cheese
Facts
- Milk
- Sheep
- Texture
- Hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Czech Republic
Abertam cheese is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the Czech Republic. Makers press the curd into small, uneven balls rather than neat wheels. A thin natural rind turns yellow to orange, and the paste inside stays pale yellow and firm. The taste is strong, tangy, and a little acidic, with a clear sheep's milk character. It is sold as a table cheese and also used where a firm cheese needs to melt.
Ossau-Iraty
Facts
- Milk
- Sheep
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- France
- Place
- Pyrénées-Atlantiques
Ossau-Iraty is a pressed sheep's milk cheese from Pyrénées-Atlantiques, in southwestern France. The name joins the Ossau valley and the Iraty forest, two landmarks in that Basque and Béarn country. Wheels are pale inside, with a natural rind that runs from orange-yellow to grey. The taste is nutty, lightly salty, and gently sheepy, without the sharp bite of a very old grating cheese. It is a mountain cheese meant for the table as well as the kitchen.