Queso Tetilla

[Tetilla Cheese from Galicia]

I spent the last few days in La Coruña, Galicia, in the northwestern part of Spain. Off the Atlantic Ocean, the climate is pretty much like Seattle's -- it rains a lot. At the conference, we were given umbrellas as a giveaways. Since it was more of a work trip, I didn't really have personal time to savor the rich foods from the land. But I did manage to pop into a bar to fix myself up some Pulpo Gallego --octopus with olive oil and spanish red pepper-- the national dish of this seafaring province with Celtic roots.

The other famous gastranomic treasure from Galicia is queso tetilla. The semi-soft cheese is named after how it is formed. Tetilla simply means "nipple" and the cheese is shaped like a woman's bosom. It has a thin yellow rind and has no mold. The soft and creamy texture of Queso Tetilla with a slightly acidic taste and a hint of salt is perfect with any meal of the day. I love serving it in thick slices on real traditional gallego (Galician) bread.

The flavor of this cheese is reminiscent of the cows, meadows, and how the milk is produced in the region which boasts the largest milk producer in Spain. With a fat content of 25 percent, the cheese made in the Galician countryside is smooth on the palate and moderate on the waistline.

It is so popular that la tetilla is widely available all over Spain. The American mum of my Columbian friend here often demands that her son to bring her back this traditional spanish cheese when he visits home. If you'd like to serve it with wine, the best pairing would be a dry sherry -- Manzanilla or Jerez. It also work well with young whites with a touch of oak, such as Albariño or Ribeiro from Galicia.