¿Y si pudieras contribuir a la lucha contra el cambio climático comiendo queso?
5 de December de 2024
Montanejos
8 de May de 2025
Idiazabal
País Vasco
Located in an exceptional natural setting, between the Aralar and Aizkorri-Aratz mountain ranges, surrounded by peaks that are over 1,000 metres high and where you can discover beautiful Basque farmhouses where livestock farming continues to be an important source of economic, natural and cultural wealth.
El municipio
Idiazabal is located in an exceptional natural setting, between the Aralar and Aizkorri-Aratz mountain ranges, surrounded by peaks that are over 1,000 metres high and where you can discover beautiful Basque farmhouses where livestock farming continues to be an important source of economic, natural and cultural wealth. An ideal area to explore and savour, thanks to the daily work of its farm workers who create unique, dreamlike landscapes.
Idiazabal is known gastronomically for the cheese that gives it its name, which follows the traditional recipe used for centuries by Basque shepherds. To get to know it, we recommend visiting the Idiazabal Cheese Interpretation and Tasting Centre, where visitors are told, in an entertaining and fun way, the history of cheese and its production processes passed down from generation to generation, as well as visits to the cheese factories in the municipality.
El queso
The DOP Idiazabal cheese is made from raw, whole, unpasteurised milk from Latxa or Carranzana sheep. The cheese must be aged for between two and six months and can be smoked or unsmoked, although traditionally Idiazabal cheeses have been referred to as smoked cheeses. Its production area is the Basque Country and Navarre, except for the Roncal Valley.
It is a cheese that is distinguished by its hard, pale yellow rind for the unsmoked ones and dark brown for the smoked ones. The paste is compact and of variable colour, from white to yellowish ivory. It is a cheese that transmits the flavour of the Basque and Navarrese pastures, and which, above all, maintains in its essence the livestock tradition of the mountains where it was born.
The Basque Cheese Fair (Euskal Gaztaren Azoka) is held every first weekend in May. On the last Saturday in October, the Euskal Herria Artzai Gazta championship is held.
QUESERÍAS
Quesos Aranburu
We have always been proud of our roots and our town, Idiazábal. We are the grandsons of a shepherd and the sons of a farmer who worked in the town's factory. We are Jesús, Juanjo and Javier. The Aranburu brothers. With the industrialisation of the area, we took up our family's tradition of cheese. It started as a hobby and over time the quality of our cheeses became more important. By the time we realised it, we couldn't keep up with all the work in the cattle and cheese factory.
Quesería Gaztañaditxulo
The Gaztañaditxulo farmhouse is 150 years old and has always been linked to shepherding and agriculture. Since 2009, our cheese has had the Idiazabal designation of origin, which certifies that it is made with raw milk from lacha sheep and has all the guarantees of the regulatory council. We are also members of Artzai-gazta, which confirms the artisan nature of our products.
