Casin Cheese

Casin Cheese

Casín, which is produced by only two small dairies in Asturias, is one of the cheeses with the oldest written references in the world, one of the most intense in flavour, protected by a Designation of Origin since 2011, and unique in its method of production. Casín takes its name from its place of origin: the municipality of Caso, which also gives its demonym to the Asturian Mountain cattle breed, or “casina” cow, which yields little milk but of exceptional flavour thanks to the excellent pastures on which it feeds. Documentary references to Casín date back to the 14th century, when it was known as queso assadero. The cheesemaking technique used for Casín cheese arose from the need to achieve a safe and long-lasting method of preservation in an area where mild temperatures and the predominance of rainy, overcast days create high ambient humidity, which hinders the drying of the curds produced by milk coagulation. Thus, kneading emerged as the customary method of combining several small-format curds into a single piece. Repeating this process resulted in drier, more compact pastes, producing a longer-lasting product without the need for pressing. To facilitate kneading, the ‘rabilar machine’ was developed (see description below).

asturiasmap

iain

Asturian,Spanish

Intangible

796

Queso casín, Quesu Casín

19/12/2025

D.O.P (n/d). El queso Casin. http://www.dopquesocasin.es/ D.O.P (2008). PLIEGO DE CONDICIONES DE LA DENOMINACIÓN DE ORIGEN PROTEGIDA (DOP) “QUESO CASÍN” Marcet, I., Rendueles, M., & Díaz, M. (2023). De la que tábemos faciendo un quesu…. Ciencies. Cartafueyos Asturianos de Ciencia y Teunoloxía, 13. pp 81-93 SOCIEDAD ASTURIANA DE ESTUDIOS ECONÓMICOS E INDUSTRIALES (1985). Los quesos artesanales asturianos. Oviedo: Gráficas Summa. Videos: Canal Prestosu | Secretos de Asturias: queso Casín https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eISrTnGZ2wU;

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TEXT

https://culturality.museum/wiki/index.php/Casin_Cheese

With mountain cattle farming and the so-called fiestas de prao—traditional outdoor celebrations in northern Spain, especially in Asturias—people gather to eat and drink together, enjoy dancing, and listen to traditional music. These events often form part of the patron saint festivals of towns or parishes.

Carmen Pérez Maestro

Knowledge of the type of milk and rennet used, the kneading of the product, and the maturation processes is essential. The curd is passed through the “rabilar machine” several times, with salt being added during some of the passes. The mass (known as gorollos) is then shaped by hand into a truncated pyramid and stored in an airing chamber for a period ranging from five days to two weeks, at a temperature of 14–20 °C. The gorollos may be kneaded in the machine as many times as necessary to achieve the texture desired by each producer. The greater the number of passes, the finer and more homogeneous the cheese will be; it will mature better and develop a stronger flavour. Finally, it is shaped by hand into a cylindrical–disc form or a round wheel and the upper face is marked with a punch or stamp bearing the producer’s emblem. It is then kept for at least one day in the airing room. The marcu casín (the stamp applied to the cheese) goes beyond the simple identification of an individual cheese, as it also seeks visual appeal: its impressions are placed on the most visible face of the cheese, covering it completely.

The tradition was passed down within families, essentially from mothers to daughters. Today, there is no generational transmission, and it is produced by only two dairies.

Quesería Redes was founded in 1989 by Marigel Álvarez, and in 2018 it was inherited by her daughter, Natalia Lobeto Álvarez. The complex includes the dairy, a hotel, and a shop selling cheeses and other local products. Quesería Ca Llechi was opened in 2012 and is run by Alberto Valiente.

The human connection is intrinsic to the essence of this product, particularly when discussing its unique method of production. Today, cheese production remains purely artisanal and highly labour-intensive, resulting in limited output that once threatened its survival. Its preservation has relied largely on the efforts of the women who produce it for family consumption and the dedication of a cheesemaker who, for a long period, was the only person to showcase and sell the product at fairs and traditional markets throughout Asturias and across Spain. The support of local rural development groups has also been important.

Canut (2000) maintains that “Casín cheese, due to its method of production and the rustic tools used, may be one of the oldest in Spain and forms part of the group of cheeses made in the Cantabrian Mountains that trace their origins directly back to the Neolithic and the first settlers who arrived in the backbone of the Peninsula.” Written records of cheese production in the area date back to the 14th century. In the leases of the mansos of San Salvador de Sobrecastiello and San Juan del Campo, managed by the Convent of Nuestra Señora de la Vega in Oviedo, Casín cheese is mentioned for the first time: in 1328, during the abbacy of Dª. Gontrodo, the mansos of San Salvador de Sobrecastiello were leased for six years at a price of 70 maravedís, payable on 1st September, along with “ten roasted cheeses” (dolze quesos assaderos) to be paid on each Saint Martin’s Day in November. Further references to this cheese appear in the writings of Jovellanos (18th century), in Madoz’s Diccionario Geográfico published in the early 19th century, and in Dionisio Martín Ayuso’s Curso de Agricultura Elemental, published at the end of the 19th century. Mentions of Casín cheese continued in various 20th-century publications. In the 1980s, at the First Casín Cheese Fair organised by the Ayuntamiento de Caso, 42 female artisans participated; today, in 2025, only two remain. Regarding the process, Casín was originally made exclusively with milk from the casina cow (Asturian Mountain breed). The milk from these dual-purpose cows has an excellent fat content, imparting unique characteristics to the cheese. Today, while the casina cow is still used, milk may also come from higher-yielding breeds such as the Friesian. Indeed, the casina is considered an endangered native breed. What has changed are the materials used in cheesemaking, such as the rabilar machine, which was formerly wooden with rollers operated by a manual crank. Today, it is an electric steel machine, as are the stamps and marks

El Certamen del Queso Casín es un evento anual que trabaja por mantener viva la tradición ancestral de este milenario queso. Tiene lugar el último sábado de agosto en Campo de Caso. Sin embargo al quedar unicamente dos queserías este va a ser dificl de mantener. Antiguamente este certamen se celebraba al aire libre y llegaban a participar hasta 30 elaboradoras de queso.

See in the Practitioners section.

Reduced practice

The practice has declined to the point that there are now only two producers of this cheese. They are young, but generational succession will be needed. Health regulations and the costs associated with adapting the dairies have partly contributed to the decline in production of this cheese.

Insufficient financial resources

The procedures with the public administration are very tedious, and the purchase of steel equipment for its production is costly, which prevents new initiatives from emerging.

A full-fat, matured cheese made from whole, raw cow’s milk, using enzymatic coagulation and a kneaded curd, with a semi-hard to hard texture. It has an irregular cylindrical–disc shape, with one face embossed with floral or geometric motifs, symbols, or the name of the person who makes it. It measures up to 20 cm in diameter and up to 7 cm in height. It has a strong, slightly piquant flavour.

The rabilar table or machine originated as an adaptation of a tool used in traditional baking. It is a device consisting of two rollers rotating in opposite directions, designed to break up, crumble, or shred the pressed curd. There are two types of stamps used to imprint the cheese. The first, applied to the semi-processed curd or gorollo, was called an ochavau: a cylindrical or spindle-shaped wooden piece, decorated at the ends with simple symbols, which was pressed onto the gorollo as many times as it had been kneaded. For the finished cheese, the marcu or cuñu is used—also made of wood but larger and more complex, with a variety of imprints—serving both decorative purposes and to identify the production. Today, these stamps are made of stainless steel.

Not applicable

Yes, because it uses local raw materials for its production.

Yes, because it is an artisanal process, minimally mechanised.

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Queseria Redes, Campo de Caso 43°10'53"N 5°20'26"W- Queseria Ca Llechi, Pintueles, Piloña 43°22'27"N 5°21'31"W

For several decades, the Casín Cheese Festival has been held annually. The event revolves around two main pillars: the market, featuring stalls from Casín cheese producers, and the cheese competition for dairies registered under the Casín PDO. In parallel, various complementary activities take place, such as cooking contests, tastings, workshops, exhibitions, performances by folk groups, a charity marathon, and special menus.

declining

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