Asturias—that land where the meadows are only distinguishable from the sky by the slopes of the cows—has a small cheese capital in its geography that once a year transforms into a gastronomic sanctuary. I am talking, of course, about Benia de Onís, and its highly celebrated Gamonéu Cheese Competition., which in October brings together shepherds, gourmets, tourists, curious onlookers and the occasional urbanite with aspirations of being a sybarite, attracted by the intense and honest aroma of one of the finest cheeses produced in Europe. The cheese that smells like the mountains.
The Gamonéu —or Gamonedo, as the phonetics here are as flexible as rain— It is a fatty, matured, slightly smoked cheese, with bluish, greenish or reddish penicillium blooms, depending on the cave and the magic.It's made with cow, sheep, and goat milk, or a mixture of both, following a method as old as the Julian calendar. The secret lies in the caves of the Picos de Europa, where it ferments slowly, just as wisdom ferments in the stories told by shepherds as they turn the cheese over like a relic.
Two varieties are presented: the one from the valley, more accessible but no less noble, and the one from the Port, rarer, more expensive and more desired, as befits what is made at high altitudes, with milk from transhumant cattle and the patience of a Benedictine monk.
The Gamonéu competition: more than a party, a manifesto
In October, the last weekend, Benia is transformed. It's no exaggeration: the bars are packed, the air smells of cheese, and even the cattle seem more proud. The Gamonéu Competition, with almost half a century of history, is Regional Tourist Interest and it is not just a fair, but a tribute to the landscape, the people and cheese as a cultural event.
For three days there are concerts, Xalda sheep competitions —the native sheep, which does not parade, but is enchanting—, tastings, guided by renowned gourmets, wool craft exhibitions, and even archery displays, as if it were a pastoral Olympics.
Sunday is the big day: The cheeses are blind tasted, and the best producers (from the Port and the Valley) are awarded prizes. The proclamation is held and the traditional auction is organized, where the finest cheeses change hands for prices worthy of an art auction. In some years, it has reached around 8.800 euros, a significant sum.
On occasion, there is no shortage of moments of truth and criticism. The Gamonéu de Oro, which rewards the career and celebrates shepherds -guardians of a tradition that resists wolves and offices-, serves to highlight a bitter truth in the award acceptance speech: without milk, there is no cheese, and without policies that promote it, there is no milk. Cheese, like art, does not live on applause alone.
In a world where industrial cheeses are being produced in laboratories, Gamonéu represents resilience and flavor, territory and memory. Its competition is not just a celebration, but a declaration of principles: that rural is not backwardness, that flavor does not admit shortcuts, and that there are things that smell strong, yes, but that taste even better.. Like Asturias.
And if you don't believe it, try it.
Text: © Ramón Molleda for asturias.com
