Etorki

Etorki at the Food Network Store

"Etorki", the name, apparently comes from the Basque word for "origin". I think it would make a good name for a sheep. Perhaps Etorki was the name of the very first sheep whose milk was used to make Etorki cheese. But I digress.

Etorki is a sheep's milk cheese, and quite a fine one at that. It is new, having been invented in the 1970s. Its flavor is somewhat similar to a nutty Spanish cheese, like an Iberico for example, but the texture is semi-soft, creamy and buttery. It also has not a small amount of that elusive flavor component that I like to call "sheepiness". And the only way to experience sheepiness, aside from drinking sheep's milk, is to eat a sheep's cheese.

There is a bit of sweetness in this cheese, and also a grassy, fresh, flowery sunny taste that will make you feel like you've landed in a meadow in springtime. Surrounded by cute little sheep named Etorki.

It's another versatile cheese that will make you happy on a cheese plate, or in your cooking, but it is rich and shouldn't be overused.

RATING: 4 out of 5 stars