The Subaida family estate, situated on a raised crop of land near the sleepy town of Alaior, has been in the same family for six generations. Subaida produces four styles of Queso de Mahón: tierno (soft), aged for five weeks with a relatively mild flavor and soft, elastic texture semi curado, aged three months, with a slightly firmer texture and nuttier flavor curado, aged six months and firmer still, with a persistent flavor and flakier texture and añejo, cave-aged for 18 months and hard, similar to an aged parmesan, with a nutty, intense flavor. In 1985 Queso Mahón was given D.O.P status, and in 1997 the name was changed to Queso Mahón-Menorca to reflect the fact that most of the cheese isn’t actually made in the city of Mahón itself, but in the smaller countryside towns like Alaior and Es Mercadal. Shipment, trade, and distribution of Menorcan cheese grew steadily throughout the Middle Ages, and as the cheese became more and more popular, it began to be known as “Cheese from the Port of Mahón,” for its shipping origins. A visit to the island wouldn’t be complete without a taste.Īrchaeologists in Menorca have discovered ceramic shards of cheese making equipment dating back to 2000 BCE, and the first written document mentioning cheese made in Menorca is from the 5th century.
True Queso Mahón Artesano has a wonderful flavor and texture that has been enjoyed around the Mediterranean for thousands of years. While Queso de Mahón Artesano is readily available all over Menorca and used in many ways, from pasta topping to pastry filling, it is most often only the non-artisanal pasteurized variety that is available in major supermarkets in Spain and abroad. However, the milk used to make Queso de Mahón Artesano is always raw – in the case of Subaida, it comes from their own Dutch Holstein Friesian cows. Non-artisanal Queso de Mahón, which is made in a more industrial way and from pasteurized milk, can also be found. “The mark of the string and the cheesecloth on the final cheese is a sign of artisanal quality,” Trenado explained. Once the cord was wound tight, the bundle is pressed with weights for two to eight hours, then later brined and aged. All D.O.P Queso de Mahón has an identification number and production date stamped into it at this stage, via a plastic mold placed between the cheesecloth and the curd. The curds were folded in a square of cheesecloth, and a cord twisted around the leftover cloth to squeeze out the liquid, in order to create the characteristic four-sided cheese with rounded corners. Next, the whey was pressed out of the curd and drained away to be fed to the farm’s pigs.Īs with most handmade products, process is everything. Slowly, the vat filled nearly to the brim, and Trenado, along with Mònica Mercadal, Head of Cheese Maturation, and Ramon Alonso, a new hire, carefully stirred the curds, breaking them into small chickpea-sized pieces. “By law” – Mahón has a protected designation of origin (D.O.P.) – “the cheese could include a little sheep’s milk, but ours doesn’t,” Trenado told us, as he directed a gushing stream of watery cheese curds from a wide hose into a big, waist-high stainless steel vat. They moved efficiently through each step of the artisanal process, expertly crafting block after block of the famous Queso de Mahón on the Mediterranean island of Menorca.
At 10 a.m., Juan Trenado, head of cheese production at Finca Subaida, and his team had already been toiling for several hours.
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