A wonderful way of discovering Menorca and learning its history is by visiting the places where some of its essential food products are made. It also offers a chance to shop for edible souvenirs.

Cheese: Queso de Mahón

Cheese from Subaida in Alaior, Menorca - SubaidaAppreciated all over Spain, Mahón cheese is made from unpasteurized local Holstein-Friesian cow’s milk and has European PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) status, which mandates that a food can be produced only in a specific location. One of the most beautiful farms, Subaida, an 865-acre property with a herd of 100 cows, welcomes visitors on tours that end with a tasting. The farm’s daily output of 80 cheeses requires some 660 gallons of milk, and the cheeses are aged to four levels of maturity — five weeks, two to four months, five to nine months and more than a year, the last category having a rich, nutty flavor that’s like a grassier version of Parmesan. Note: Shrink-wrapped Mahón cheeses can be brought home without attracting hostile scrutiny from Customs.

Queso de Mahón
Carretera Alaior-Arenal d’en Castell, Alaior. Tel. (34) 971-379-086