Cheese Database

Cazelle de Saint Affrique vs Ossau-Iraty

Cazelle de Saint Affrique

Facts

Milk
Sheep
Texture
Soft
Type
Bloomy rind
Rind
Natural rind
Country
France
Place
Midi-Pyrénées, Aveyron Department

Cazelle de Saint Affrique is a soft sheep's milk cheese from the Aveyron Department in Midi-Pyrénées, France. It is made from pasteurized milk and shaped by hand into small rounds. The rind wrinkles as the cheese ripens, and the paste inside is dense, smooth, and a little chewy. The flavor is nutty and clean, with a light tang and a gentle sheep note. The rind is edible, and it can taste a bit bitter beside the center.

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.