The Pride of the Basque…

Image courtesy of Pinterest

It’s Saturday morning, and as I sit down to write today’s post, I am flooded with inspiration to write this piece…As I have written many times before, my inspiration for stories come to me in many different sources…rather than list them here, I will just let them unfold as I tell you about the pride of the Basque…

 Several weeks ago, my new friend Shauna asked me to do a virtual “training and tasting about Ossau-Iraty PDO Cheese.” I realized at once that this would also make a great story to share with all of you. This story is so much more than about the cheese…it’s about a culture, a community, a language, and a region.  The Basque Country (shown above) is a self-proclaimed name for this area (Basque: Euskal Herria; Spanish: País Vasco; French: Pays basque) given as the home of the Basque people. This area consists of three départements in southern France: Labourd, Basse-Navarre, Soule; and two Spanish autonomous communities: Euskadi and Navarra.

The Basque word for the people who live in the area refer to themselves as euskaldunak and have been in the area a long, long time. How long you ask?... A closer look at the genetics of the Basque people predates the arrival of agriculture in the Iberian Peninsula, which took place about 7,000 years ago.

Their language is a mystery as well…Known as Euskara, it is unrelated to the other languages of Europe and is known as a “language isolate” in relation to any other known living language.

As you can imagine, being this isolated also led to their own music, culture, and of course, food.

One of the dishes that are enjoyed throughout the region is called Pintxos (or in Spanish, Pincho meaning “Spike”). These are related to Tapas, but are often served on bread with a large “spike” or toothpick through them. The spikes are important as this is how a person is billed for them. Shown here are some examples of Pintxos: Spanish Jamon Serrano on a base of Moutarde Basque topped with sun dried tomatoes; French-style Duck Pate topped with fire roasted red peppers and a Cornichons; lastly Istara® Ossau-Iraty Cheese on a bed of Black Cherry Confit and topped with a ripe Black Fig.

Lastly, I made some blistered vine tomatoes drizzled with Castillo de Canena Smoked Olive Oil from Spain (winner of a SOFI award!) 

 Now normally, a meal like this would have been served with Txakoli (also called Txakolina), a white wine produced in northwestern Spain’s Getaria region, along the coast of the Bay of Biscay, bordering France. Txakoli has been a protected Spanish DO wine since 1994. 

Enough about the appetizers…let’s talk about the cheese…

Ossau-Iraty is a thousand-year old cheese that evolved from pastoral farming in the region. It was used as a currency in many 14th century sales or tenancy contracts, as cheese was the first source of revenue for shepherds. Its name originates from the valley of Ossau in Bearn and the Iraty massif in Basque country. Ossau-Iraty is produced in the southern département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques of France.  

Life in the Great Pyrénées mountain range can be tough, as mountains plunge two to three thousand feet. It is a terrain that is difficult for humans, impossible for cows, but perfect for sheep. 

Shepherds in this area move their sheep from the lower mountain valleys in the winter, up to the steep higher pastures in the summer – this is known as Transhumance.  Shepherds still have Cayolars (mountain huts) where they can produce their Ardi-gasna (meaning “local cheese” in Euskari – the Basque language, or Fromage de Brebis in French). 

 Let’s look at some of the unique rules for Ossau-Iraty:

 ·      Production of sheep milk, cheese production and refining is carried out in the geographic area of the département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques in France.

·      Can only be produced from the milk of the Basque-Béarnaise or Manech (black or red head) sheep.

·      Ewes must graze in the pastures at least 240 days per year.

·      Manufacturing is prohibited during the months of September and October.

·      The term “montagne” may only be used for cheeses made from ewes grazing on summer pastures between May 10th and September 15th.

Just like many AOC cheeses, there are distinct rules between Fermier production, and Laitier production:

For Fermier (Farmstead) Production:

•       Made ​​exclusively from raw milk.

•       May use nettles to coagulate the milk instead of traditional rennet.

For Laitier (Dairy) Production:

•       Milk may be heat treated.

•       Conventional rennet is used.

 During the cheese making process, the cut curds form a mass that sinks to the bottom of the cheese vat and the excess whey is drained off until only the curd “block” remains on the bottom of the vat. The cheesemaker cuts the curd into blocks and places one into each of the cheesecloth lined cheese moulds. 

The curd block is covered with the excess linen, a lid is placed on top of the cheese mould and pressure is applied. The holes in the mould allow any excess whey to escape. After several hours, the cheese is removed, flipped, and then put back into the mould with a new piece of linen. Before the linen finally covers the cheese, one of three different plastic reliefs (see below) outlining a sheep’s head are added. The excess linen covers the cheese, the lid is replaced, and pressure is once again applied.

Image courtesy of Ossau-Iraty AOP

Shown here are the outlines used to identify the cheeses:

·      Profile = Pasteurized Milk

·      Front facing = Raw Milk

·      Front Facing + Mountain & Edelweiss Flower = Mountain Ossau-Iraty 

Image courtesy of Ossau-Iraty AOP

Finally, the cheese is aged. The minimum ripening period is 120 days for cheeses from 4 to 7 kg. and 80 days for cheeses 2 to 3 kg.  During this aging process, the cheese is turned and brushed. Brushing can include the use of water, salt, enzymes, and mashed red peppers (Piment d’Espelette AOP – A Basque Red Pepper). 

 Ossau-Iraty was formally recognized as an AOC (Appellation d’origine controlee) cheese by the INAO (Institut national de l’origine et de la qualité) on March 6, 1980 (one of two protected sheep’s milk cheeses in all of France). Further, it became a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) cheese in 1996, recognized not only in the European Union, but all around the world. 

This cheese has gained popularity when Ossau-Iraty won “World’s Best Cheese” at the World Cheese Championship in 2011, as well as 2016. This cheese has also gained popularity because of the increasing variety of sheep’s milk cheeses across the United States.

Istara® Ossau-Iraty has been a trusted cheese (and brand) in the region since 1964. They worked hard to help to get Ossau-Iraty the AOC protection that was so needed. Today, Istara® employs 135 people and collects milk within 30km. (18.64 miles) of the production facility. Here they also produce another cheese known as P’Tit Basque. 

Image courtesy of Istara®

It’s now late Sunday afternoon…Having worked on this story for most of the weekend, (and enjoyed eating and writing about Ossau-Iraty PDO cheese), I was ready to wind the weekend down when I spotted a recipe for Basque Cheesecake in Food & Wine Magazine (July 2020 issue), I thought it would be the perfect way to end the weekend and story.

Datorren astera arte...

Trevor