Milk from farms in the protected area
Afuega'l Pitu cheese is made with milk from farms located in the geographical area protected. Our cheese can be made with pasteurized milk or with raw milk, in which case it has a Minimum maturation of 60 days.
Curdled without haste
The Afuega'l Pitu cheese curd is a basically acid curd, made slowly for a period of 15-20 hours at a temperature of 22-32 ºC..
Molded "heron to heron"
Once this natural curdling process is finished, the artisans of this cheese move the curd with the care of completely manually, with a 'garcilla', to the typical molds of Afuega'l Pitu cheese
Manual salting piece by piece
The salting of Afuega'l Pitu cheeses is done piece by piece, manually adding salt to the cheese curd. each of the molds.
Drained "without pressure"
The draining of the curd is slow, because there is no pressing of it, there is only a 'self-pressing' due to its own weight. This draining is done in the mold itself for 24 hours and ends on perforated trays once the mold has been removed.
Kneaded and molded "in trapu"
To give the 'trapu blancu' or 'trapu roxu' varieties their final shape, the artisans of This cheese is kneaded after its first stay in the characteristic moulds. This work is carried out in small mixers installed in the cheese factories that work with care the kneading of the curds; and its mixture with paprika in the varieties of roxu
Once the kneading is finished, the draining and molding continue for another 24 hours: in a frustoconical mold for the variety 'atroncau roxu' and in typical gauze tied at the top for the 'trapu blancu' and 'trapu roxu'.
Ripening "at different ages"
The maturation is carried out in maturation chambers, placing them on trays and turning them conveniently, until the optimum degree of maturation is achieved. Depending on the degree of maturation, ranging from fresh cheese to matured, the time spent in the chamber will vary, taking into account a minimum time of 5 days for cheeses made with pasteurized milk, and a minimum of 60 days for cheeses made with milk raw
Packaging and labeling "still life of shapes and colors"
Once the desired point of maturation is achieved, the cheeses are packaged and labeled, they are added to the container the commercial label of each cheese factory and the back label of the Regulatory Council that certifies that it is of a product certified by the DOP Afuega'l Pitu. Packaged and labeled cheeses are kept in refrigerated chambers, at a controlled temperature, until the time of dispatch.
Against label
To enjoy the authentic Afuega'l Pitu cheese, look for this back label on the packaging!
