Mitica® KM 39
$32.00 / Lb
- Pasteurized
- Animal Rennet
- Age: 16 Months
- Cow Milk
- by Mitica®
- Spain
- ApproachableAdventurous
- SoftHard
Galicia, in Northern Spain, is renowned for its soft cow’s milk cheeses, which makes long-aged KM 39 a true standout. The large wheels mature for 18 months, developing their granular texture and lots of delightful crunchy crystals. The golden yellow interior is full of complexity, with its blend of pineapple, caramel, and toasty chestnut notes. A robust Spanish cheese like this calls for a tapas-inspired spread of Fermín Ibérico Chorizo, Losada Aloreña Olives, and a full-bodied Spanish red.
“I find eating KM 39 to be like a delicious journey. The first bite, you get notes of pineapple and banana. The next, walnuts. And the next, toasted bread. Encountering all these flavors is such a delight.”
Pasteurized Cow'S Milk, Cheese Cultures, Calcium Chloride, Rennet, Lysozyme (From Egg), Salt
- The name KM 39 refers to where this cheese is made, specifically the kilometer marking along the Camino de Santiago, a pilgrimage route that leads to the Santiago de Compostela Cathedral.
- Galicia is known for its younger cow’s milk cheeses like Arzua Ulloa and Queso Tetilla, which makes a long-aged wheel like KM 39 a rarity.
- KM 39’s complex flavor develops in part thanks to old-world cheesemaking techniques, like the use of proprietary cheese cultures made from local molds.
- But it also comes down to the high-quality milk—the cheese is made from 100% pasture-fed Rubia Gallega cows, a breed that’s native to the Galicia region.
- The cheese’s crystalline crunch is from tyrosine, an amino acid that forms white crystals in the interior paste of some aged cheeses.
- While KM 39 is a great pick for snacking, it also works beautifully for grating or shaving over pasta or salad because of its hard, granular texture.
- From the Spanish word for mythical, Mitica is a gourmet food importer that offers the best of the best from Spain and the Iberian Peninsula.
- Regional delicacies, like marcona almonds, membrillo, and crispy tortas, are carefully curated by the company’s product experts.
- Based in Long Island, New York, Mitica is part of the specialty food company Forever Cheese, founded by Michele Buster and Pierluigi Sini.
- Forever Cheese was created in 1998 to share Sini’s renowned family cheeses with a U.S. audience.
- The duo originally offered Italian cheeses before moving into Spanish, Portuguese, and even Croatian cheese.
- It wasn’t long before they were also adding other charcuterie staples, like prosciutto and fruit spreads, to the fold
