🧀 Queso de Valdeón
Also known as: Valdeón, Valdeón cheese
Queso de Valdeón is a Spanish PGI blue cheese from Posada de Valdeón (León), made from cow's milk or a mix of cow's milk with sheep's and/or goat's milk.
Queso de Valdeón is a Spanish blue cheese with a Protected Geographical Indication (PGI), registered in the EU under Regulation (EC) No 135/2004. According to the single document it is a full-fat cheese made from raw or pasteurised cow's milk, or cow's milk mixed with sheep's and/or goat's milk, using lactic and enzymatic coagulation.
Ripening. Cheeses from raw milk are ripened for at least two months, those from pasteurised milk for one month. The cheese is matured in the cold and humid conditions that replicate the ripening caves of the area.
Appearance and taste. A cylinder with slightly concave faces, up to 15 cm high and 25 cm across, weighing 0.2 to 3 kg; it may also be sold in portions. The natural rind is thin, tender and yellowish with grey tones. The cut shows many evenly distributed irregular eyes with a greenish-blue mould; the paste is ivory to cream, shiny and melts in the mouth. The aroma is lightly lactic at first with a distinct scent of mould, becoming more intense, spicy and fruity; the flavour is intense, salty and piquant, stronger when sheep's or goat's milk is used. Fat at least 45 % of dry matter, moisture at least 30 %, salt below 3.5 %.
Creamed Valdeón. The specification also covers a rindless, homogeneous creamed cheese, ivory white with greenish-blue tones, sold in containers of 20 g to 6 kg (1.5 to 6 kg only for catering, retail chains and industry).
Area and labelling. All production, including ripening, takes place in the municipality of Posada de Valdeón (León), which lies entirely within the Picos de Europa National Park. Labels bear the name and logo of the PGI, and whole or creamed cheeses carry a numbered secondary label.
Valdeón or other blue cheeses? Queso de Valdeón is one protected Spanish blue cheese, not a general style. Its PGI covers only cheese made, and ripened, in the municipality of Posada de Valdeón in León, which lies inside the Picos de Europa National Park. The milk is cow's, alone or mixed with sheep's and/or goat's milk, and the cheese ripens in cold, humid conditions that copy the local caves. Other blue cheeses, including other Spanish ones, are separate cheeses with their own rules.
Look for the name “Queso de Valdeón” and the EU PGI symbol (protected geographical indication) on the label, which must carry the name and logo of the PGI. Whole or creamed cheeses also carry a numbered secondary label. A whole cheese is a cylinder with slightly concave faces and a thin, yellowish rind with grey tones; creamed Valdeón has no rind. You will usually find it at a cheese counter, a delicatessen or a supermarket.
Queso de Valdeón belongs to Blue cheeses, Cheeses of Spain and Protected cheese names; its main raw material is cow's milk.
Facts
| Raw material | Cow's milk or a mix with sheep's and/or goat's milk |
|---|---|
| Country | Spain |
| Region | Posada de Valdeón (León), Picos de Europa |
| Duration | Ripened ≥ 2 months (raw milk) or 1 month 3 |
| Legal basis | EU PGI, PGI-ES-0267, Reg. (EC) No 135/2004 2 |
How it connects to Cheese
🧀 Queso de Valdeón → kind of → 🔵 Blue cheeses → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Cow's milk, 🥛 Sheep's milk, 🥛 Goat's milk
- Part of
- 🔵 Blue cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names, 🇪🇸 Spanish cheeses
Frequently asked questions
Is Valdeón the same as Stilton?
No. It is its own protected Spanish blue cheese, from a single mountain municipality in León, made from cow's milk alone or mixed with sheep's or goat's milk.
What does PGI on a Valdeón label mean?
Protected geographical indication, not a PDO. The label must carry the name and logo of the PGI, and whole or creamed cheeses also carry a numbered secondary label.
What is creamed Valdeón?
A rindless, homogeneous creamed cheese, ivory white with greenish-blue tones, also covered by the specification, so it is the same protected name.
What milk is Queso de Valdeón made from?
Cow's milk, or cow's milk mixed with sheep's and/or goat's milk, raw or pasteurised.
How long is Valdeón ripened?
At least two months from raw milk and one month from pasteurised milk, in cold, humid conditions like the local ripening caves.
Similar
🧀 Gamonéu · Jihočeská Niva · Jihočeská Zlatá Niva · 🧀 Picón Bejes-Tresviso · 🧀 Strachitunt · Fourme de Montbrison
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.