Torta del Casar

Torta del Casar is made from raw milk of Merino and Entrefino sheep, coagulated not with animal rennet but with the dried flower of the wild cardoon, Cynara cardunculus, gathered locally; the vegetable coagulant produces a proteolysis that breaks down the paste as the cheese ripens, so after two months the interior turns from solid to a thick cream while the rind stays firm. The convention is to cut a lid off the top and spoon out the inside, or dip bread into it. It is intensely savoury with a slight bitterness from the thistle. Protected designation status was granted in 1999, restricting production to a defined area around Casar de Caceres. Similar cheeses are made in Extremadura and Portugal.

What you actually see

• The thistle coagulant - wild cardoon flower used instead of rennet.
• The running interior - a paste that turns to cream as it ripens.
• The spoon service - the top cut off and the inside eaten with a spoon.
• The protected area - production limited to the Casar district.

When to go

Year-round; milk from spring and autumn grazing gives the best cheese, and production is seasonal with the sheep's lactation. Producers around Casar de Caceres receive visitors by arrangement.

Honest expectations

It is expensive, reflecting the raw milk and the hand process. The flavour is strong and the bitterness from the thistle divides opinion. Being made from raw milk, it carries the usual caveats for vulnerable eaters.

Nearby

Caceres and its walled old town are twelve kilometres south; Trujillo and Los Barruecos are close.