Ossau Iratey
About This Cheese
Ossau-Iraty is a traditional sheep’s milk cheese from the French Pyrenees, produced in the regions of Béarn and the Basque Country it has a firm, smooth texture and a natural rind.
Its flavor is balanced and refined, with gentle notes of butter, toasted nuts, and sweet grass. As it matures, the taste becomes more pronounced while remaining smooth and rounded.
It pairs well with crusty bread, cherry preserves, and both red or dry white wines.
TypeFirm
Rennettraditional
RegionFrance, Macaye
ProducerOnetik
Milkewe
Rindnatural
Price range: €7.68 through €23.04
Story
Known as the grandfather of Basque cheeses, some say that Ossau Iraty was one of the first intentionally made cheeses in Europe, possibly dating back to 3,000 BC! While the exact date is debatable, many agree that the recipe and technique hasn’t changed in centuries, which proves that the cheesemakers are clearly doing something right! Hailing from the Basque region of France, this cheese is named for the two picturesque regions in the Southwestern Pyrenees Mountains – Ossau located in the valley of the Bearn and Iraty in the beech forests of the Pays Basque. Both known for their stunning beauty, the Ossau Valley and Iraty Forest are popular destinations for outdoor and nature enthusiasts during all four seasons.
Producer
Onetik Basque Country artisan cheeses made by our farmers with raw milk from a single herd (fermier).
The farmers themselves produce these special cheeses in their high-altitude summer pastures or estives. These raw milk cheeses from just one herd are entitled to use the protected term fermier.
The artisan cheeses are collected and brought to our Macaye cheese dairy where they are aged in cellars to develop their full flavor.
Goes Well With
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FAQs
Cheese should be unpacked and stored in a cool place, ideally around 5 degrees. Take out about an hour before serving, and allow to come to room temperature. Leaving cheese come up to room temperature (“to chambre”) allows it to develop a fuller, more aromatic flavour. Beware temperatures that are too warm (hot kitchen) and try and let the cheese come up to temperature in a relatively cool place like a cool pantry. Harder cheeses can need a little more time than softer ones.
Cheeses like cheddars that have more open texture pastes where the curd is not heavily compacted during the cheesemaking process can have occasional blue veining. Though this blueing is caused by unintentional rouge pencillium genus mould that has found its way into the cheese, it is often sought after for its contributing flavour.
Frequently, cheeses that start to grow mould while aging, in storage, or during transit can be salvaged and are safe to consume. In the case of blue/white mould that has begun to form, it can be scraped off with regular dinner knife or back of chef knife, and bloomy rind cheeses often begin to re-rind themselves on the cut surface which can just be cut off or eaten.
Spoiled cheese has some key indicators – if you get an ammonia/sour smell or taste then it goes in the bin.
Fresh, high moisture, young cheeses (think mozzarella/ricotta/mascarpone/cream cheese) that have mould growing should be discarded immediately.
Moulds that show up with black or reddish hue should be discarded.
Our primary aim is to provide delicious, quality, safe cheeses to our Sheridans customers however cheese is a living thing with an agenda of its own. If you believe your cheese (or other food item) has spoiled, please contact us immediate at online@sheridanscheesemongers.com for a replacement or refund.
Nutritional Information
Ingredients: MILK, salt, starters, animal rennet,
For allergens see ingredients in bold
Nutritional values per 100g
Energy kj/kcal: 1822 / 440
Fat: 30.7g
of which saturates: 20 g
Carbohydrates: 4.7g
of which sugars: <0.1 g
Fibre: <1g
Protein: 26.7g
Salt: 1.6g
