This unique curated culinary tour gives participants the opportunity to experience the gastronomy of ASTURIAS and GALICIA through its cheeses. This is a chance to dive into the immersive travel approach that Trevor practices of learning about cheese by tasting it in the places it is made, while hearing the stories behind the cheeses from the people who make them. The whirlwind tour will expose us to as many novel flavor and textural combinations as possible, lending a richer understanding of cheese and how it fits into the wider culinary and cultural framework of these vibrant regions, which we will experience further as we visit restaurants, a farmers market, a seaweed forager, and a cider producer.
Starting in SANTIAGO DE COMPOSTELA, the historic capital of Galicia, we’ll explore its medieval streets before heading to LUGO, home to ancient Roman walls and a rich cheesemaking heritage. In ASTURIAS, our journey continues in NAVIA, a coastal town with strong dairy traditions, and GRADO, where traditional farmers’ markets showcase the region’s finest produce. In CANGAS DE ONÍS, at the gateway to the Picos de Europa mountains, we’ll discover how caves are used to age cheese, developing their character. Finally, in OVIEDO, Asturias’ capital, we’ll get to taste the local gastronomy, where stews and cider take center stage.
While visiting small-scale producers and traveling between them, Trevor will help contextualize what we are seeing and tasting by sharing the philosophy of natural cheesemaking which he writes and teaches about. We will learn about various approaches to milk’s fermentation, raw milk dairying, and the art of cheese aging, with a focus on how traditional, non-industrial practices are being adapted to modern times. By meeting the livestock, seeing where they live and learning how they are raised and fed, a richer understanding of how cheeses can reflect the places they are made will be conveyed. This curated trip promises to be a palate expanding look at the infinite possibilities of what cheese can be, as we explore this corner of Spain, a hot spot for global cheese diversity.
