Cheese Profile
Queso Majorero DOP, like many of the selections we’ve tried so far, is a true story of terroir or “taste of place.” Established as a DOP (think: how Champagne can only be made in the Champagne region; protected regional products) in 1996, Majorero is one of the heartier, export-friendly cheeses that comes to us from Fuerteventura in the Spanish Canary Islands off the Northern African coast. Majorero (or Maxorero) is the pre-Spanish, Guanche word describing both the inhabitants of Fuerteventura and its native species of goat.
The Cabra Majorero is a hearty animal well-suited for browsing the scrubby, rocky landscape of Fuerteventura. This ruffage and their milk’s rich butterfat and sweetness shape the flavor of Majorero. The cheese’s rind pattern is a nod to the traditional palm frond belt used to shape this cheese. Traditionally, this cheese is rubbed with either olive oil alone, paprika, or gofio (roasted corn flour). Our version is rubbed in pimentón, giving it a nice smokey flavor and pop of color for a cheese board.
Traditionally, Majorero is grated into vegetable soups or salads. Ours is aged 2 months but younger versions can be turned into a fondue. You might have luck tracking down a great, minerally white from the Canary islands. “What grows together goes together” is a great north star with this cheese – a volcanic wine with some minerality is a great pairing with Majorero’s rustic personality and herbaceousness.
Fun Fact
Do you know the cheese nun? Mother Noella Marcellino lives in a cloistered community of Benedictine nuns in Connecticut but stands as one of the world’s leading authorities on traditional cheesemaking. She has a PhD in cell biology / microbiology with a focus on Geotrichum candidum, the native strain found in France most associated with Camembert. I can’t recommend PBS’s profile of her, “The Cheese Nun”, enough!