Foodies cannot agree. Or rather, they prefer not to reach a consensus on the factors that determine the excellence of Asturian cheese. Is it because of the orography and the climate? Could it be the exceptional pastures that feed livestock and dye any landscape an enviable green? Everything influences, because even the caves in which certain types ripen also have a lot to say. In total, the Principality of Asturias has 329 varieties of cheese distributed in 97 cheese factories. It has four DOPs (Cabrales, Gamonéu, Afuega’l Pitu and Casín) and one IGP (Los Beyos). Cheese is present in all gastronomy, in family meals, on special occasions and during celebrations. And of course, it’s the perfect gift.
Cheese factories, another experience
One of the healthiest and most tempting options (and outside of the traditional travel circuit) is visiting a cheese factory. This constitutes a unique experience: knowing the production process, in addition to immersing yourself in the landscape, the human environment and the traditions that the world of cheese has encompassed since Antiquity.
At the height of the rural world (if ever it was not fashionable to visit a natural paradise like Asturias), natural and organic foods (the so-called kilometer zero), and the return to ancestral customs, more and more cheese factories are organizing tourist visits. Legendary houses like Maín, Vega de Tordín or El Cabriteru, in Cabrales, introduce the traveler to the subtleties of one of the most famous blue cheeses in the world: Cabrales, which has its DOP.
Festive plans and tasty itineraries
Cheese permeates Asturian life all year round. In January, without going any further, the Afuega’l Pitu Competition takes place, in La Foz de Morcín, and the Nabos y Queso Festival, in Proaza. During Holy Week, the Taramundi Cheese Fair. In May, the Cheese and Wine Fair, in Avilés.
It is more complicated to decide where to go in summer. In August, the perfect holiday month, the Quesos Oriente exhibition is held in Llanes; in Ribadesella, the Cuerres Fair: in Campo de Caso, the Casín Competition, a Festival of Tourist Interest, and in the Arenas de Cabrales, the Cabrales Competition, which is also a Festival of Tourist Interest.
In autumn, it is worth highlighting the Picos de Europa Cheese Competition in Cangas de Onís, and the Gamonéu Competition (in Benia de Onís, Festival of Tourist Interest), on the last Sunday of October.
Tastings, menus with cheese as the protagonist, visits to museums (the Cave-Exhibition of Cabrales Cheese in Arenas, for example) and tourist routes with the smell of this delicacy, such as Quesu and Asiagu Cider (Cabrales, Pueblo Ejemplar 2019), proliferate. Or Gamonéu (DOP), a historic cheese linked to the Picos de Europa (western massif/Cornión).
Cheese permeates Asturian life all year round. In January, without going any further, the Afuega’l Pitu Competition takes place, in La Foz de Morcín, and the Nabos y Queso Festival, in Proaza. During Holy Week, the Taramundi Cheese Fair. And in May, the Cheese and Wine Fair, in Avilés
Gamonéu is made with a mixture of cow’s, sheep’s and goat’s milk. There are two variants: that of the Valley, which is aged in natural caves, according to a tradition that is passed down from generation to generation. That of Puertu is produced only between June and September, in the high mountain sheepfolds of Onís and Cangas de Onís.
The Gamonéu route begins in Benia, considered the capital of this variety (along with Cangas) and with good bars and restaurants offering traditional cuisine, quiet squares, hospitable people, cheese shops, shops and charming hotels. In the center is a sculpture representing a shepherd with his dog, symbol of the region’s cheese-making tradition. The route climbs towards villages like Boviabaxu and Boviarriba, until reaching Demués, which appears suspended on the hillside, as an ideal starting point to continue exploring the sheepfolds and landscapes of Gamonéu del Puertu.
Lagares, what nice places to enjoy
What would this land be without cider, with which all indigenous products harmonize. The presses (places where this drink is made, whose associated culture has been declared World Heritage by UNESCO since 2024) are key spaces in the centuries-old Asturian tradition.
More and more places offer guided tours, tastings and spikes throughout the year, and it is from September to December that you can see the production in person. There are many wineries to visit, but El Gaitero, Castañón and Cortina, in Villaviciosa, can be considered unmissable; Trabanco, Bernueces and Menéndez, in Gijón/Xixón; Widow of Angelón, in Nava; Crespo, in Colunga, and Pamirandi (with a press dug into the rock) in Asiagu, Cabrales. The Sidraturismo Asturias club allows you to complete the experience.
We need to close a date for this great gastronomic plan. Neither France, nor Italy, nor Switzerland. Cheese, Asturias.
Where to find the best “souvenir”
Traditional markets are ideal for purchasing artisanal cheeses and discovering local culture. There is a market almost every day of the week. We distinguish those on Sunday: Fontán (Ovied/Uviéu), Mieres, Cangas de Onís (Picos de Europa cheeses), Gijón/Xixón (which also organizes a monthly organic market) and Grado (Afuega’l Pitu). There are also very active Saturdays in Oviedo/Uviéu, Candás, Carreña de Cabrales, Nueva de Llanes… And on Mondays, many people reserve for Avilés.
But Asturias also has a remarkable range of gourmet stores, where it is possible to buy the best gastronomic products in the world. There are even very tasty boutique bars where it is possible to discover this artisanal cheese that the traveler (and compatriot) did not know about. Although it is difficult to list all the places worth visiting, here are a few.
In Oviedo/Uvieu, and also in Gijón/Xixón, Coalla Gourmet offers a wide selection of products, including cheeses. For its part, Crivencar sells indigenous gastronomic products in the three towns of Asturias.
Likewise, in Oviedo/Uviéu they are a reference to take into account Casa Veneranda, Camponorte, Mantequerías Loli Arrieta, Aramburu or Don Foodie Gourmet.
In Gijón/Xixón, La Alacena, Saroma Salas & Gayol, Gallego Vintage, Mitequiero Gourmet or La Esquina are places to note in your gastronomic notebook, among others.
Furthermore, in La Felguera (Langreo) There is Aitor Vega’s cheese dairy, a classic.
and in Aviles, Antonio and Gorfolí delicatessen.
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