Sheep milk cheese facts for kids
Sheep milk cheese is a type of cheese made from sheep milk. Some famous sheep milk cheeses include Feta from Greece, Roquefort from France, Manchego from Spain, and Pecorino Romano and Ricotta from Italy. You can also find yogurts made from sheep milk, especially some thicker kinds.
Why Sheep Milk is Great for Cheese
Sheep are smaller than cows and produce less milk. They only have two teats. However, sheep milk is super rich! It has much more fat, solid parts, and minerals than cow's milk. This makes it perfect for making cheese.
Sheep milk also stays fresh longer during cooling. This is because it has a lot of calcium. One thing to note is that sheep milk contains 4.8% lactose. This is more lactose than cow's milk. So, it's not a good choice for people who are lactose intolerant.
While you can drink fresh sheep milk, it's mostly used for cheese and yogurt today. Many famous cheeses were first made with sheep milk. Sometimes, these cheeses are now made with cow's milk, especially if they are produced outside their original country.
Making sheep milk cheese takes time. It needs at least two weeks to ripen. Some cheeses can take two to three months, or even up to two years, to be ready!
Sheep Milk Cheeses Around the World
Many countries make delicious cheeses from sheep milk. Each region has its own special kinds.
French Sheep Milk Cheeses
France is famous for its cheeses. Some French sheep milk cheeses are Abbaye de Bellocq, Brebicet, Le Claousou, Lévejac, Valdeblore, and the well-known Roquefort. Others include Ardi-gasna, Agour, Ossau-Iraty, Brocciu, Asco, Brin d'amour, Faisselle, Fleur de Maquis, A filetta, and Niolo.
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Brin d'Amour
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Levejac
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Niolo
Cypriot Sheep Milk Cheeses
On the island of Cyprus, you can find sheep milk cheeses like Anari and Halloumi.
Greek Sheep Milk Cheeses
Greece is known for its sheep milk cheeses. Two popular ones are Feta and Kefalotyri.
Italian Sheep Milk Cheeses
Italy has many sheep milk cheeses, often called "Pecorino." The word pecore means sheep in Italian. Some examples are Pecorino Romano, Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Siciliano, and Pecorino Toscano. Ricotta is another Italian cheese made from sheep milk.
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Casu marzu is a special cheese from Sardinia.
Croatian Sheep Milk Cheeses
In Croatia, two sheep milk cheeses are Pag cheese and Ovidur.
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Pag cheese is a firm, flavorful sheep milk cheese from the island of Pag.
Polish Sheep Milk Cheeses
Poland offers sheep milk cheeses like oscypek and bryndza.
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Oscypek cheese.
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Handmade sheep's-milk cheeses from a local market in Poland.
Portuguese Sheep Milk Cheeses
Portugal has several sheep milk cheeses. These include Castelo Branco, Azeitão, Rabaçal, Saloio, Serpa, and Serra.
Spanish Sheep Milk Cheeses
Spain has many sheep milk cheeses with special protections called Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). These include Roncal from the Roncal Valley. Idiazabal cheese is made in the Basque Country and Navarre regions. It uses milk from Latxa and Carranzana sheep. Torta del Casar is from the Extremadura region, made with Merino sheep milk. And, of course, Manchego cheese, made in the La Mancha region from Manchega sheep milk.
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Manchego cheese.
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Torta del Casar served with biscuits.
Hungarian Sheep Milk Cheeses
Hungary makes a sheep milk cheese called Parenyica. It's a lightly smoked, rolled cheese. Another Hungarian sheep milk cheese is Gomolya. This cheese ripens outdoors in the sun for about three weeks. It develops a stronger taste when it matures on wooden boards.
Ukrainian Sheep Milk Cheeses
In Ukraine, you can find sheep milk cheeses such as bryndza and feta.
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Aged Bessarabian sheep milk bryndza from a market in Izmail.
See also
In Spanish: Queso de leche de oveja para niños
