Galician Requeixo is a product made from whole milk from Rubia gallega and Friesian cows, obtained by fermenting, by means of bacteria and natural yeasts, raw milk at room temperature. Some producers use rennet, but no other ingredients. It is a soft cheese that is not pressed and is eaten fresh without being left to mature. The texture, either mealy or creamy, varies depending on the habits and customs of individual households, and the cheese has a mildly acidic and fresh milky flavor.
Requeixo used to be made in all Galician homes until the mid-1970s, for consumption at home or as a gift. Compulsory pasteurization of milk for consumption, abandonment of farming and livestock farming, and the concentration of the population in cities have led to domestic production languishing and it wasn’t until the early part of this century that 5 or 6 producers began to appear and revived production of the cheese.
It is made by a process of controlled acidification of raw cows’ milk at a temperature of 20-22°C for 24 to 48 hours until the curds form. Next, the whey is strained off through cloth sacks for several hours, until the desired texture is obtained.
When the cheese was made at home, the process would would start with curdling of the milk, which was helped along by keeping it tepid. To do this, the milk was poured, without boiling it, into a container in the embers of the hearth or stove, which sped up the curdling process. Once curdled, the surface layer of cream was skimmed off and set aside to be re-added at the end of the process. Next, the curdled milk was strained through linen bags hung in a cool place to remove the whey by gravity. Then the curd was removed and some or all of the skimmed off cream was re-added and beaten to obtain a smooth product.
Requeixo comes in two forms for consumption: the first with a yogurt-like creamy texture, which is eaten with a spoon, and the second, denser version, which is like cream cheese and eaten with a fork or as a spread. This consistency depends on how long the whey is strained off for. The first kind is predominantly found in northern Galicia, while the second is predominantly found in the south.
It is traditionally eaten as a dessert, sweetened with sugar or honey. Today it is used in combination with many other foods and in confectionery.
Back to the archive >El Requeixo fue un producto de elaboración habitual en todas las casas gallegas hasta mediados de los años 70 del siglo pasado, para uso propio o para regalar. La pasteurización obligatoria de la leche para el consumo, el abandono de la actividad agraria y ganadera y la concentración de la población en ámbitos urbanos hicieron que languideciera la producción domestica y no fue hasta primeros de este siglo que comenzaron a aparecer 5 o 6 productores que recuperaron su elaboración.
Se elabora por un proceso de acidificación controlada de la leche cruda de vaca a una temperatura de 20-22°C durante 24 a 48 horas hasta que se produce el cuajado. Luego se somete a un proceso de escurrido del suero en sacos de tela durante varias horas hasta adquirir la textura deseada.
En las casas la elaboración se iniciaba con el cuajado de la leche que se favorecía manteniendo su temperatura tibia. Para lograrlo se ponía la leche sin hervir en un recipiente al rescaldo del lar o cocina con el que se aceleraba el cuajado. Una vez cuajada se retiraba la capa superficial de nata de la leche que se reservaba para volverla a añadir al final del proceso. Luego se procedía a escurrir la leche cuajada en bolsas de tela de hilo de lino que se colgaban en un lugar fresco, para eliminar el suero por gravedad. Luego se retiraba y se volvía a añadir la nata extraída, toda o en parte, y se batía para conseguir un producto homogéneo.
Hay dos tipos de presentación del Requeixo para su consumo: el primero de textura cremosa tipo yogur para tomar con cuchara y el segundo de textura más compacta como de queso fresco que se toma con tenedor o untado. Dicha consistencia depende del tiempo de escurrido. La primera es la predominante en el norte de Galicia mientras la segunda lo es en el sur.
Tradicionalmente se emplea como postre, endulzándolo con azúcar o miel. Hoy en día es utilizado en combinaciones con muchos otros alimentos y en repostería.
