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If you want to delight yourself with an authentic delicacy, Flor Cheese from the Canary Islands is an autochthonous product you need to know and taste if you visit this incredible archipelago.

Flor Cheese from Canary can be perfect for a delicious meal. A refreshing wine, some spicy “papas con mojo”, a tender goat’s meat, and, as a starter, a rich and delicious canary cheese. Do you want to taste it? We do!

From the Blog of Lopesan Group, we want you to enjoy new flavours, and we are sure tasting Flor Cheese from Canary is an experience you cannot lose.

What is Flor Cheese?

Between Flor Cheeses from the Canary Islands, the most famous is Flor de Guia Cheese or Guia Cheese. If you have heard of a chef or read a recipe with this delicious delicatessen, you know which one they meant.

Within Spanish gastronomy, the process of making and maturing cheese is one of the most remarkable together with ham and wine. Flor Cheese from the Canary Islands is one of this list of irresistible delicatessen you must taste and savour.

This product is 100 % native to the Canary Islands, produced with cow’s and sheep’s milk from the islands. It has a yellowish rind on the edges and a semi-fat or fatty texture that melts on the palate with a bite.

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SOURCE: grancanaria.com

Where is Flor Cheese produced?

Although there are varieties of Fuerteventura and in other islands, it is mainly on Gran Canaria where this 100 % handmade product is produced. If you are visiting Gran Canaria, you are likely to find this wonderful product on the menus of traditional restaurants or craft shops.

It is mainly produced in three municipalities in the northwest of the island: Gáldar, Moya and Santa María de Guía. In each one of these places, there are specialized producers who make the process from scratch.

You can see all the production processes in La Casa del Queso, in Santa María, where they explain to you the process of making Flor Cheese and invite you to enjoy a tasting of different varieties.

Origin of Flor Cheese

At the beginning of the 16th century, after the conquest of the Crown of Castile, many Portuguese and Extremaduran settled on Gran Canaria. In both Portugal and Extremadura a cheese was produced from the cardoon flower, which is used to curdle sheep’s milk. These new shepherds taught the local inhabitants to produce this type of cheese, using goat’s and sheep’s milk.

This is the origin of Flor Cheese in the Canary Islands, together with its main denominations of Guía Cheese and Flor de Guía Cheese.

How are the different varieties of Flor Cheese produced in the Canary Islands?

Flor Cheese in the Canary Islands must be made with the best products, so it obtains an exquisite flavour.

The cardoon flower species must not be dried after flowering in April and May, they must be kept fresh by the producers. The Media Flor de Guía Cheese uses the fully dried cardoon flower in its vegetable rennet.

In addition, the mixture of Flor Cheese variations is made from a combination of sheep’s and cow’s milk. At a height of 4 to 8 cm.

If there is a distinction to be made in the production of the three variants, it is in the proportion of cardoon flowers. For example, the percentage of cardoon flowers in Guía Cheese is less than 50 %, while in Media Flor de Guía Cheese is higher.

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SOURCE: grancanaria.com

Protected Designation of Origin

Its intense flavour and elaborations have awarded it the Protected Designation of Origin (P.D.O) in 2010. This categorization was requested in 2007 and three years later Flor de Guía Cheese was recognised with this special mention of the islands.

This factor is important because not every Canarian product can be included in this certified category. To achieve this, Flor Cheese must meet certain controls stipulated by the Instituto Canario de Calidad Alimentaria (ICCA):

  • Daily documentation of litres of cow’s and sheep’s milk.
  • Sum of the number of pieces of Flor Cheese varieties.
  • Compliance with the organoleptic and physical characteristics in the P.D.O. regulations.
  • Annual tasting of Flor Cheese varieties.
  • Minimum values must be exceeded during the analysis.

When Flor Cheese from the Canary Islands finishes all the stipulated tests by the ICCA, they get numbered labels in purple, green, or brown. Depending on the variation, each one has a particular colour.

If you want to identify them, we provide you with the label so that you can find out what type of Flor Cheese in the Canary Islands it is:

  • Purple: Flor de Guía Cheese.
  • Green: Media Flor de Guía Cheese.
  • Brown: Guía Cheese.

There are a lot of recipes made with the different Flor Cheese in the Canary Islands. If you take this appetizer home, you can prepare artichokes au gratin, lasagne, quiche, salads and even combine it with fruit for a snack. Come and taste it!

Without a doubt, the Canary Islands has exquisite autochthonous products, such as Flor Cheese. Now you have a reason to visit Gran Canaria and in Lopesan Group we have excellent hotels where you can stay during your holidays on the island.

Do you want more information about the Canary Islands? Read the following posts:

 

 

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