Cambios

On same high pastureland in the Urbia and Urbasa area, it was usual to intensely smoke the cheese and the best way to do so was by burning alder, cherry, birch or similar wood; the important thing was for the wood to be damp as smoke was needed without a flame. That smoking process, which varied in length, turned the cheese first yellow and finally red-black in colour.

On the Atlantic side of the watershed and in the northern part at the top of the Mediterranean side, sheep’s cheese was made on the high pastureland. The cheese was sometimes made at the homestead, when the shepherd’s family lived close to the pastureland and it was easy for the milk to be collected after milking; and when the flock was on the winter pastureland down in the valley. Those flocks are mainly made up of Lacha ewes bred for milk, while most of the sheep on the Mediterranean side of the watershed are Rasa or other breeds, kept for breeding and selling meat.