LIVE from the Camino Black rind on cheese

[J Willhaus]

Is the black rind on the Spanish cheese edible? We bought some very tasty aged Zamoran cheese from one of the local shops and it has more of a hard cheese rind along with the black stuff you find on the outside of Spanish cheese. Is the black stuff edible? I was thinking that if it is that I might use it in soup or sauce like you would use a Parmesan cheese rind. I have seen some people eat the black stuff and others cut it off.

If no one here knows, I'll try to ask the lady at the shop when I go back to get more.
Janet

 

[Deleted member 3000]

If it still has the cheesecloth in it, cut it off. It won't hurt you, but you will have a wad of cotton fiber in your mouth if you chew before swallowing. It won't hurt you to eat it. If it is just the residual pattern of the cloth, eat it or cut if off; personal choice.

 

[J Willhaus]

Thanks, Falcon! No cloth is present so I'll just toss it into some soup or sauce!

 

[JillGat]

You ask on the internet before you ask the lady in the shop who sold it to you?

 

[J Willhaus]

You are more available than she is...her shop is only open a few hours each day.

 

[HeidiL]

"The black stuff" on many Spanish cheeses is wax. I'd put a little bit in boiling water to see whether it melts...

 

[t2andreo]

Wax is good too!

 

[J Willhaus]

Hi everyone,
Went back to the Zamoran store today, but the nice lady speaks no English and the black rind thing was too much for me to figure out in my limited Spanish today. She did sell me two other kinds, one of which she says is a typical Zamoran cheese. One is a goat cheese (has a goat on the label which is how I know) and the other is a sheep cheese (has a sheep on the label). The sheep cheese is the typical cheese, but she says all the cheeses in her shops are made in Zamora. She was very clear that they were NOT made in a factory. They both definitely have wax on the outside. We had some of the goat cheese for lunch and it was very good. Phil picked it out after trying some at the shop.

I did find a website about the cheeses of Spain and says to discard the rind on Zamoran cheese.
Janet