Wikipedia Article About Idiazabal cheese on Wikipedia Idiazabal cheese is a pressed cheese made from unpasteurized milk that can only come from the Latxa breed of sheep in the Basque region of Spain. It has a somewhat smokey flavor, but is usually unsmoked. The cheese is handmade and covered in a hard, dark brown, inedible rind. It is aged for a few months and develops a nutty, buttery flavour, eaten fresh, often with quince jam. If aged longer, it becomes firm, dry and sharp and can be used for grating.