Its distinctive flavor is a combination of at least three factors : the exclusive milk from Casina cows , a native breed primarily raised for meat production, with very limited milk yield, but which, by grazing in rich and exclusive pastures, produce milk with a high fat content. The second factor is the rennet used , made from dried pig stomach, which gives the cheese its unique flavor. And the third is the strictly artisanal process followed throughout the production and aging process.
The origin of Casín cheese is actually unknown, but it is clearly very old. Legend has it that after the Battle of Covadonga, the people of Casín presented Don Pelayo with a cheese so large that a local cart was needed to transport it. Until the 17th century, cheese, along with butter, was a common form of payment. Jovellanos, in his letters to Ponz, also mentions the "extraordinary success" of Casín cheese in Paris.
As ancient as its origin is its flavor . It surprises the uninitiated to taste a cheese so intense in every aspect: exceptionally rich (with a minimum of 55 percent fat), with a bold aftertaste, and highly nutritious due to its high protein and calcium content. Its color is yellowish with whitish tones, creamy, and rindless. Its aroma is very powerful. Its texture is firm and compact, somewhat coarse. The flavor is strong and slightly spicy, a bit wild , difficult for some palates to appreciate, with the rustic aroma of well-aged butter, persistent, and slightly bitter on the finish. Its most common weight is around 250 grams, and it is stamped with a distinctive relief that gives it even more character.
Casín cheese is a meticulously crafted cheese , a "woman's cheese," one might say, as the labor, care, and attention required for its production have always been the domain of women. It is the women of Casín who possess the secrets, learned from their mothers and grandmothers, and who continue its production today.
The process begins by heating the milk to about 35 degrees Celsius , or to the temperature of blood: when, placing a drop on the back of your hand, you feel neither hot nor cold. This is how oral tradition explains it. Next, artisanal rennet made from dried pig stomach is added. Once the rennet has drained, the mixture is left to dry wrapped in a cloth for no more than fifteen days. After this time, it is passed through a kneading machine and formed into gorollos, truncated cone-shaped portions that must be rolled again, repeating the process over and over. The subsequent resting time is a fundamental factor that will greatly influence the desired intensity of flavor and spiciness. The longer the resting time, the stronger the cheese becomes.
The next step is to knead the curds again . This process can be repeated twice to make a mild cheese, and up to ten times for a spicier, stronger one. The more times you knead them, the finer the cheese will be, the better it will age, and the more full-bodied the flavor will be. This is because the microorganisms that naturally settle on the cheese are incorporated into the curd with each kneading.
When the dough is deemed to have been given its final pass, it is carefully molded by hand , giving it a spherical shape and then hitting it against the table to obtain circular and flat pieces.
Finish the manipulation by marking the cheese on the upper side with a wedge. The identifying sign of the house. After a cure of two or three months in a cool and ventilated place, the cheese is ready to be consumed.
Coinciding with the last Saturday of August, the Annual Casín Cheese Competition is held in La Collada de Arnicio , the dividing line between the Nalón and Sella river basins, where artisans who make this cheese come together.
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Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
