How to Make Andalusian Style Goat Milk Cheese

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PHOTO: FOTOLIA/SUSAN GODFREY
Making cheese is like making bread: The feel — the liou, as they say here in Andalusia — has to be just right. And I was well on my way to the achievement of a proper queso de cabra or Andaluz goat's milk cheese, white as sun-bleached sheets.

“We’re making cheese now if you want to watch again,” called my neighbor from the doorway. “And mama has to fix some new rennet you may like to see how we do that.”

Making cheese is like making bread: The feel — the liou, as they say here in Andalusia — has to be just right. And I was well on my way to the achievement of a proper queso de cabra or Andaluz goat’s milk cheese, white as sun-bleached sheets. I’d mastered the liou of the consistency reasonably well but only while relying on commercially prepared rennet. My neighbors Juana and Maria, however, made their own cheese “starter”, and I was anxious to learn how. Here, for any of MOTHER EARTH NEWS readers who are interested, is a summary of the age-old lesson I was recently taught here in Spain.

How to Make Andalusian Goat Milk Cheese

Homemade Rennet

The first step in making any type of cheese is to curdle the milk. Many agents for this purpose exist, and the texture of the finished product is determined to a great extent by which one is used. Traditionally, Andalusian goat’s milk cheese — just like many others — is curdled with a natural product called rennet.

  • Published on Jul 1, 1975
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