Mahon
Mahón is the capital and port of Menorca, the most oriental of the Balearic Islands, in the Mediterranean Sea. It also lends its name to the famous cows milk cheeses produced on the island There are many varieties of this cheese, all prepared for long-term storage and transportation by sea, and ranging from young and semi-cured to very cured. This version, aged for several months is quite hard and dense, with a full flavor and piquant sharp bite. The smooth orange rind is either rubbed with oil which helps the protective rind to form.
The entire island (barely 700 km2) is rocky with a mild climate and heavy rainfall. Sea winds and high atmospheric humidity irrigate the pastures, giving the milk a high acidity and a touch of saltiness. The geo climatic factors, the cheese making process and the traditional aging, which have been handed down from father to son, give the cheese its unique characteristics. The cheese making tradition of the island goes back into pre history; written records exist going back to the fifth century. This has been and is a key in the keeping of the characteristic and traditional landscape of the Menorcan countryside along with the ecological balance has made the island a biosphere reserve.
