Recently, Leonora, a lovely goat’s milk cheese from Spain, has been getting a lot of love. My cousin, who is just starting his love affair with cheese, decided Leonora was one of the best he’s ever eaten. After tasting it for the first time, a customer was quite upset that she’d gone so much of her life without it. And my own dear father can’t go long without grilled bread spread thickly with Leonora and drenched in olive oil. See, it’s really a need at this point. So, what makes this gorgeous little goatie so special?

Leonora comes from León, Spain – get it? León, Leonora, very clever. Cheesemaker Oscar Fernando Marcos Gonzalez uses milk from two farms with herds of the small eared, hearty Murciana goats. (‘Small-eared’ may seem like an odd descriptor to include, but seriously every goat resource refers to the really small ears of this breed. So. There you go.) Leonora has a fluffy center surrounded by a dense cream line and a thin white rind that tastes peppery. The cheese is bright and tangy but also earthy and a little mushroomy. Melt a thick slice over a piece of toast and dollop with strawberry jam, or try it with a Spanish cider and a handful of Marcona almonds. Whatever you do, please take my advice and get this cheese into your rotation as soon as possible.

For the love of cheese and the Leonora-obsessed,

Kiri

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P.S. I ran across a website students in a university class on food justice built that describes “world crops,” or crops important to cultural groups that are not often grown in the US. I read down the list and there is a lot of produce I’ve never heard of that the website explains in detail. Super interesting for food nerds like me and you!