Allegretto cheese vs Ossau-Iraty
Allegretto cheese
Facts
- Milk
- Sheep
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Washed rind
- Country
- Canada
Allegretto cheese is a pressed sheep's milk cheese from Canada. The milk is thermalized, which means it is heated more gently than in full pasteurization, and the curd is pressed into wheels. The rind is washed or brushed while the cheese ages, and the paste under it is firm and creamy. The taste is nutty, a little sweet, and lightly tangy, with a fruity side. It is a cheese for grating, melting, and the board, not a fresh sheep cheese.
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.