Queso Artesano Santa Cruz de Turrialba
Turrialba cheese is a fresh cow cheese with a semi-hard consistency and a low fat content. It is creamy white to creamy yellow in color (in some cases it is a slightly more intense yellow, depending on the dairy breed from which the milk is obtained), and has a delicate aroma. It is made using traditional methods that maintain the flavor, aroma, and other characteristics of the milk in the region where it is produced. This cheese comes from a small district called Santa Cruz de Turrialba, located in the foothills of the Turrialba Volcano in Cartago, Costa Rica. This cheese is related to a life of struggle of hundreds of men and women in Santa Cruz, who carried the cheese on trails through the mountains, walking long distances in the sun and rain or riding horses–many animals drowned in the mud, weighed down by up to a quintal of cheese.
Two types of artisanal cheeses are protected under the Turrialba designation of origin: "Turrialba fresco" and "Turrialba maduro" (the DO allows for the latter to be made with pasteurized milk). The type should be indicated on the label. Fresh Turrialba does not have a rind. The paste has a soft, slightly creamy texture, and a few pores, irregular and unevenly distributed. Due to the artisanal production techniques (the use of whole milk and mechanical pressing), it usually has a compact consistency: When cut, it is easily portioned and does not “overflow” or melt. Mature Turrialba has a slightly differentiated, thin, soft, elastic rind. It has a mild, slightly acid aroma and a pleasan, light flavor of mature, creamy milk, with a mild saltiness. Mature Turrialba has a firmer but smoother consistency than the fresh version. It is used to accompany pizza, traditional dishes, in sandwiches, pastas, and salads, and can be prepared sweet in cheese chicharrón. It is also mixed in to soups and other recipes.
Back to the archive >Este queso está relacionado con una vida de luchas de cientos de hombres y mujeres santacruceños, que llevaron el queso entre trillos y montañas, caminando largas distancias, luego a caballo, al sol y al agua, por caminos embarrados, tanto que muchas bestias murieron ahogados en el barro y con un quintal de queso en el lomo.
Con la Denominación de Origen “Queso Turrialba” se tutelan dos tipos de quesos artesanales: "Turrialba Fresco" y "Turrialba maduro". Esta información deberá ser indicada en la etiqueta del producto.
El queso no presenta una corteza diferenciada; la pasta es de textura blanda ligeramente cremosa y compacta, de buena apariencia, con pocos poros, irregulares y desigualmente repartidos. Al corte, da poco brillo, sin ser totalmente opaco. Por su fabricación artesanal, comúnmente presenta una pasta de mayor consistencia, menos tierna, como consecuencia del uso de leche íntegra y el prensado mecánico. Al corte, parte bien y no desborona y se funde. El Turrialba maduro ha adquirido una corteza ligeramente diferenciada, fina, suave y elástica.
Tiene un aroma suave, poco ácido, con recuerdo a la leche de procedencia y un sabor agradable y liviano, lácteo y algo maduro o cremoso, de salado suave. El Turrialba maduro, que se fabrica a partir de leche cruda y pasteurizada, muestra una sensación más firme y cremosa.
Es usado para acompañar pizza, platos tradicionales, en bocadillos, boquitas, ensaladas, se prepara dulce en chicharrón de queso o frito. Además se une en sopas y otros.
