This ancient cheese hails from the La Mancha region in the heart of Spain, home of legendary literary figure Don Quixote, where it has been carefully and lovingly crafted from the milk of Manchego sheep for centuries. This rich Spanish cheese is traditionally aged in woven grass baskets, which give Manchego’s rind its distinctive zig-zag pattern. The inedible golden rind envelops the rich, ivory-colored, semi-firm interior of the cheese; this “curado” variety is aged for 6 months, during which time, the cheese takes on a lovely sweet and floral flavor, with notes of the sun-warmed grass and hay that blanket La Mancha’s pastures. The cheese has an especially mild flavor in comparison to other sheep cheeses, with notes of nuttiness and a subtly tangy finish. Though its texture is semi-firm, this cheese is also soft and creamy and lends itself wonderfully to slicing, melting, and crumbling!