Cheeses of Idiazabal
A Basque village that gave its name to the shepherds' cheese of Latxa sheep, often lightly smoked.
Made, aged and sold here
Best time: April to June and September; the Ordizia contest is in early September.
Idiazabal is a small village in the Goierri, in the green hills of Gipuzkoa, close to the Aralar range. Its name is used for the cheese that Basque and Navarrese shepherds make from the raw milk of Latxa and Carranzana sheep. Traditionally made in mountain huts, where smoke from the fire flavoured it, Idiazabal is now sold both natural and smoked.
Idiazabal cheese
Idiazabal is a pressed sheep's milk cheese aged for at least two months. Its paste is firm and pale ivory, its flavour buttery, a little sharp and, when smoked over beech or hawthorn, smoky. Shepherds still make it in spring and summer, when the flocks are on the high grass of the Aralar and Urbasa ranges.
Markets and shepherds
Nearby Ordizia holds a weekly market of farm produce, and in early September its Basque festival includes a famous Idiazabal contest, after which the winning cheese is auctioned. The flocks move up to the mountain pastures in spring and back down in autumn. Aralar Natural Park is crossed by trails past shepherds' huts.
A trail idea for Idiazabal
- Idiazabal village The small village that named the cheese.
- Ordizia market Shop the farm market and look for shepherd cheeses.
- Aralar Natural Park Walk to the summer pastures and shepherds' huts.
- A sagardotegi Eat Idiazabal with walnuts and quince at a cider house.
Written by the EveryCheese desk with AI assistance. Background: "Idiazabal" on Wikipedia. Opening hours, markets, caves and tours change; check locally before travelling. If something is wrong, tell us.
Photo credits on this page
The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.
- Idiazabal: Xavigivax, CC BY-SA 3.0, source