How You Taste Success: Mató

Last time I wrote, I was patiently waiting for my Mató to drain.  After covering up my fresh cheese and sticking it in the fridge, the next day I took it out for the final test: taste.  I brought it to the cheesemake to savor with my colleagues and Toni, head cheesemaker at Bauma, and we all sampled.  The texture in my mouth was smooth, light, milky.  It disintegrated without hesitation between my tongue and the roof of my mouth.  The flavor was gentle without being bland.  However, after every bight, my tongue seemed to dry up.  I suspect it might have simply been that I had drank my morning tea a little too hot and burnt my tongue because neither Toni nor Mercé experienced this.

On the contrary, colleague Mercé appreciated my Mató but admitted she preferred the Bauma Mató because it had more consistency than mine, a more lasting flavor in her mouth.  Meanwhile, Toni had nothing but good things to say.  In fact, he generally doesn't like Mató, but mine, he couldn't stop eating!  He and Rosa told me that my Mató was well made because it was a moist solid you could slice through cleanly, not crumbly, not too wet or dry.  It melted in their mouths and tasted obviously of milk.  And Toni doesn't even like milk!

Immediately Toni told me that the next day I would not come in to work, but instead, I would make Nicanor's recipe again, this time using Toni's milk to see the difference in yield and flavor.  So I did just that.  I can't tell you whether there was a distinct difference in flavor - my palate is not that subtle, yet - but there was definitely a difference in yield.  Nicanor's Murciana goats produce a milk that is very high in fat and other milk solids, thus, more cheese.

If you're interested in knowing ALL the details to make your very own Mató, feel free to visit The Farmer General article, How You Taste Success: Mató published 25 May 2011.  If you do, please tell me how it goes.  Have fun!