Archive · 8 Aug 2026
Cabrales: Blue Cheese Aged in Limestone Mountain Caves
Cheesemakers start with milk and separate the solid part, called curds, from the watery part.
They use special fork-like tools to cut the curds.
The curds go into molds, but they aren't squeezed, so tiny air pockets stay inside.
Friendly mold called penicillium grows in those air pockets and makes blue-green streaks.
The cheese is salted by hand and then dried for a few weeks.
After about 20 days, the first blue streaks appear.
Then the cheese moves into cool, damp limestone caves in the mountains.
The caves give the cheese time to develop its strong flavor.
By law, the cheese must stay in the caves for at least two months.
For the cheesemaker's family, just getting the cheese to the caves is the hardest part.
Cabrales is a blue cheese aged in limestone caves with a cool, humid mountain microclimate.
Curds are sliced with fork-like blades and placed in molds without pressing, leaving air pockets that encourage penicillium mould.
The penicillium mould produces Cabrales' signature blue-green veins.
Cheeses are drained and hand-salted over four days before moving to a drying room.
Cabrales DOP regulations require at least two months of maturation in the caves, according to cheesemaker José.
- Who
- Cheesemaker José and his family, who craft Cabrales cheese.
- What
- The traditional process of making Cabrales blue cheese, from cutting curds to aging in mountain caves.
- When
- About 20 days of draining, salting and drying before the cheese moves to the caves, followed by a minimum of two months of cave maturation.
- Where
- Limestone caves with a cool, humid mountain microclimate.
- Why
- To comply with Cabrales DOP regulations and let the penicillium mould and cave microclimate develop the cheese's signature blue veins and flavor.
- Cheese type
- Blue cheese
- Signature feature
- Blue-green veins from penicillium mould
- Aging location
- Limestone caves with cool, humid microclimate
- Minimum cave maturation
- Two months (Cabrales DOP requirement)
- Pre-cave process
- Draining and hand-salting over four days, then a drying room
- Drying period
- About 20 days until first blue streaks appear
- Key technique
- Curds not pressed, leaving air pockets for mould growth