In Spain, there is a popular saying that says: "Do not mix churras with merinas"; but, over time, this has led to the expression: "You have not to mix churros with meninas". But in fact, the protagonists are not churros, either are meninas ("Las Meninas" is a picture, painted by Velázquez). Then, we use to say: “Do not mix churros with merinas”.
Churras are a kind of sheeps, that provide an exquisite meat and a delicious milk.
Merinas are a kind of sheeps, famous for their whitish and dense wool, that they give.
Then, if you mix the two types of sheeps, you would get a sheep, whose meat and milk should not be as flavourful, either wool should not have such as quality. Therefore, it is better not to mix them.
In this sense, I have found a video, which talks about those sheeps. If you want to watch this video, please click on the link below:
http://www.rtve.es/alacarta/videos/aqui-la-tierra/churras-merinas/3336852/
This video has been recorded in Villaluenga del Rosario (Cádiz), South of Spain.
Lucía Mbomio (Reporter): “How old are they?”
Jesús Olmo (Goat herder): “They were born yesterday, in the afternoon”
Lucía: “Of course, they still have…..this is the umbilical cord, Is not it?”
Jesus: “Yes, yes, and it wants to nurse, Do not you see it?”
Lucía: “I already see it…….I had never done this one…..And could you milk this one?”
Jesus: “Yes, to this one”
Lucía: “You, neither machine, either nothing…”
Jesus: “Nothing. The machine are hands”
…..music……………..
Alfredo Castro (Veterinary): “The merina sheep, from Grazalema, has a curious thing that, contrary to the saying "no link churras with merinas", comes from the crossing of merina sheep with churra sheep”
Lucía: “And so it has good wool and good milk.”
Alfredo: “Indeed; it is very rustic and it has been adapted to this mountain range, the Sierra of Grazalema. Most of the time, they are in the field”.
Lucía: “How many hours do you spend here, more or less?”
Jesús: “From the morning at 7, more or less, until 8 or 9 ..., it depends on the weather; and, when you are milking, even more, because then you have to come at 5 and a half, when we get up, in the morning”
Lucía: “My mother…..!”
…….music…………………..
Lucía: “But, you do not milk them all the year, Right?”
Jesús: “No no. These are milked 4 or 5 months (the time of milking); we start, in April or March, depending the weather that comes, to June, when the grass is dry and you can not get a good cheese, as it must be”
Lucía: “Oh, I mean this is a function of feeding ....: when the feeding is more green .....”
Jesus: “You get a better cheese…”
……….music……………….
Lucía: “What about the weather ... because we are in one of the places, in Spain, where more rains ... How do sheeps adapt?”
Jesus: “Well, here .... the sheeps are accustomed from small, as the have no unit or anything, they are always in the field ....; nursing, they endure very well, of course”
Lucía: “And are you tough, do you endure well too?”
Jesus: “Man…., I have no choice but to endure whatever comes .....”
…..music……….
Lucía: “From what I see, your way of shepherding is very traditional, And what is about cheese?”
Jesus: “About cheese…now, when you arrive there, and talk to my wife, you will see what is about cheese…”
Lucía: “Then, I go there, to see it…”
Jesus: “All right”
Lucía: “Thank you very much for everything”
Jesus: “You are welcome”
…….music……………….
Lucía: “Charo, What are you doing”
Charo Oliva (Jesus´wife and artisan cheesemaker): “Look, here I am cutting some little tapas of cheese, in order that you taste it... Here, nothing more is involved: the animal, the man's hands and what is the product (milk); as milking my husband, he brings milk, and weather (room temperature), I have thermometer of moisture either nothing”
Lucía: “Let us see how taste this cheese, ecological and artisan ....”
Charo: “Perhaps you do not like it….”
Lucía: “How do I not going to like this wonder …….?!!!!
……………music and the end………………………………
And here you can see the most famous cheese, from Villaluenga del Rosario:
Now, I should like to show you some famous blankets of sheep from Grazalema (made with merina wool):
And here you can see some ponchos:
Well, I hope that you have liked this post and you can go to those villages, in order to enjoy yourself.
Until my next post, kind regards,
Luis.
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