CHEESE / Ossau Iraty -- What the Heck?

The other night, at my friend's house, I had a cheese called Ossau Iraty. Didn't even sound remotely French, so I was surprised to hear that he'd chosen it from the cheese selection at a supermarket near my house.

It turns out that this cheese is actually from the Pyrenees area and is made from brebis, or sheep's milk, which imparts to it a delicate taste much different from goat cheese. In fact, what struck me about the aged cheese was its similarity to the sharpness of aged parmesan cheese.

What a great combination it was! and so, of course, I went to buy some at Carrefour. Not cheap (14,50 EUR/kilogram or about $10 a pound), but if you slice it really, really thin a little bit goes a long way.

The interesting thing about this (besides the name, which suggest Basque origin, since the area i very close to the border with Spain), is that you can drink both white OR red wines with this cheese. Or at least, that's what they say in the guidebooks.

For more info: (LINK)

http://www.fromages.com/cheese_library_detail.php?id_fromage=59

http://www.worldsfoods.com/view.asp?prod_ID=2968