Spanish goat and sheep milk cheeses

Spain has a population of 1,403,850 milking goats and 2,420,000 milking sheep that produce, respectively, 514,737 and 441,400 metric tons of milk per year. The 98.2% of the goats’ milk and 92.5 of the sheep’ milk produced are used for cheese production.There are in Spain a considerable number of traditional goat and ewe cheeses. Some of them are abundantly produced and are protected by P.D.O. (Protected Denomination of Origin) or P.G.I. (Protected Geographical Identification) regimes; some others are produced at artisanal or semi-industrial level and are commercialized and consumed in very limited areas.In this article, the characteristics and features of the Spanish goat and sheep milk cheeses are described.