The best blue cheese in Spain is made in the heart of the Aragonese Pyrenees. It is ‘Azul de Búnker’, the work of the O Xortical artisan cheese factory in Villanúa (Huesca), which received first prize a few days ago in Santander in the contest organized by the Cantabria Cheese Brotherhood. A large variety -8 kilos, an unusual dimension for this type of product- made with raw sheep’s milk that offers a “very aromatic and slightly creamy” result, in the words of its proud creator, Arriel Domínguez, and that costs 35 5 euros per kilo (although right now it is sold out).
As he narrates from the other side of the phone, the road has been long to get the award. With a background in Humanities, Arriel, 40, got involved in the business fifteen years ago to help her parents, Santiago and Angelines, set up the business. “By the time I realized it, I already had a trade,” she jokes.
During this time, the duty to do some type of training every year to deepen the profession was imposed. In one of these courses that he took at the School of Shepherds of the Basque Country, he was introduced to the world of blue-veined cheese technology, which was already becoming fashionable in specialized stores that had emerged in recent years. Back at home, he experimented with the milk of his sheep. “The first one came out delicious, spectacular”, he assures. The problem was that at that time he did not write down anything about the process followed, and it took him another three years of tests to replicate the result.
Of its product, it stands out the showiness of its size (between 8 and 9 kilos), a “spectacular” format with a great presence at the counter or at fairs where it is sold by the slice. “Since it is made from non-pressed paste, it is very difficult to make a cheese of that size, because due to the weight it tends to squash and close the holes that are necessary for mold to find a way to develop,” he explains.
He also stresses that his is a cheese with an intermediate flavor between intense blue and softer ones. “It is a relatively sweet and very aromatic cheese that, if it matures for more than the three and a half months that we usually have it, becomes spicy,” he explains. This middle point means that consumers who enjoy intense cheeses as well as those who are not initially enthusiastic about a cheese of this type can like it. “We have clients who are not normally fans of blue cheese, but who say that ours is enjoyable and does not saturate the palate. This world is a good gateway”.
Regarding the origin of the name, Arriel relates that his first elaborations were maturing in a bunker on the so-called Line P in the Villanúa carrascal, a string of fortifications erected by the Franco regime in the postwar period to defend against a possible attack from the other side. from the border “We call it a bunker, but it’s more like a machine gun nest. It is shallow, and when summer arrived it got too hot, the cheese came out almost walking ”, he laughs. Now they ripen it at home, but they left it the name.
‘Azul de Búnker’ was the great revelation of the contest organized on the occasion of the annual meeting of the Cantabria Cheese Brotherhood held at the end of June at the Gran Casino del Sardinero. Arriel claims the value of the award in a very particular contest that focuses exclusively on the type of blue-veined cheeses, for which reason it competes with similar products among which it is difficult to stand out. “It is a pleasure for the senses due to its texture, aroma and color”, highlighted José María Alonso, one of the judges.
The award is a great satisfaction for the small family of O Xortical, where two other people work in addition to Arriel and her parents. In the beginning, they had their own livestock, but later they stopped producing milk and focused on the production of its derivatives for direct sale.
They make half-ripened cow’s cheese in a one-kilo format, alpine-type for fondues; also sheep with natural lamb rennet, medium or long maturation, more than 8 months; cream or cottage cheese In addition to their own cheeses, their premises also sell pâtés, Aragonese sausages, candied preserves, honey and artisan butter, sweets or drinks such as artisan beers, wine and mead.
The award has meant a boost in popularity for their business, so much so that their small production barely meets the growing demand. “We are increasing its production at the expense of other varieties, and even so it is costing us God and it helps to have blue cheese on the counter and supply regular customers,” says Arriel. Looking to the future, they would like to be able to increase production, but they are faced with the difficulty of not having sufficient quality and quantity of milk available nearby. “We did not decide to expand in these circumstances. If we can involve a farmer from the area, delighted; if not, we will wait, ”he assures.
