Cheeses of Casar de Cáceres
A village near Cáceres whose spoonable sheep's milk cheese, Torta del Casar, is set with wild thistle.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: March to June and October to November, avoiding high summer heat.
Casar de Cáceres is a village on the open plains north of Cáceres, in Extremadura. Its cheese, Torta del Casar, was once a happy accident: when the milk of merino and entrefina sheep, set with wild thistle, failed to firm, shepherds found that the soft cheese tasted good. The rind is cut away at the top, and the runny, bitter-sweet inside is scooped out with a spoon or bread.
Torta del Casar
Torta del Casar is made from raw sheep's milk set with the dried flower of Cynara cardunculus, a wild thistle. The cheese is pressed lightly and aged for at least sixty days, during which the inside breaks down into a creamy, almost liquid paste. Its flavour is strong, slightly bitter and salty. A cheese museum in the village tells its story.
Extremadura
The plains around Casar are grazed by sheep and dotted with holm oaks. Cáceres, a short drive away, has a walled old town of medieval and Renaissance palaces and towers, a World Heritage site. The Monfragüe national park, known for vultures and eagles nesting on its river cliffs, lies further north, and the cheese is eaten all over the region with bread and local wine.
A trail idea for Casar de Cáceres
- Casar cheese museum Learn the history of the torta in the village.
- A cheese dairy Taste Torta del Casar where it is made.
- Cáceres old town Walk the walled medieval quarter.
- Monfragüe A national park of rivers, cliffs and birds of prey.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Casar de Cáceres" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
