Mahon Cow's Milk Cheese, D.O.

This Mahón cheese is young, when the texture is smooth and supple and the aroma is sweet and fruity. This is a versatile cheese - nice as a tapa with olives and wine or beer. Its flavor is at once sharp, buttery and slightly salty.

Mahón is a traditional semi-hard cheese, produced from cow's milk on Menorca, the outermost of the three Balearic Islands. The city of Mahón is the major town on this small agricultural island.

Traditional Mahón cheese is formed in a cheese cloth. The corners of the cloth are knotted and twisted together, which gives the cheese its typical "cushion" shape. It then matures in the cloth for several days.

You can eat it the traditional way, sliced, then sprinkled with olive oil, black pepper, and tarragon. It is also a great treat when it is melted on toast. Keep your young Mahón in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator, wrapped in plastic wrap or waxed paper.