Manchego derives its name from the central Spanish region of La Mancha, which was also the home of the legendary Don Quixote. Manchego has a distinctive flavour and an equally distinctive look. It can be recognized by a unique, zigzag or crosshatch pattern in its black-gray or buff-coloured rind (created by the rippled surface of the press used to make it). The rind itself is inedible. Inside, you’ll discover an ivory-colored interior and several small holes. It has an intense, zesty taste and a crumbly texture that's rich, full and slightly salty at the finish.

True Manchego cheese is produced only from the milk of the Manchega sheep. (Other Spanish ewe-milk cheese is commonly referred to as Manchego-style). The Manchega sheep graze mostly on dry pasture, fallow land and stubbly brush fields on a high plateau outside of the cities of Toledo, Albacete, and Cuenca in a region southeast of Madrid. The somewhat harsh grazing conditions in the region might be expected to yield low-fat milk from which the cheese is manufactured. In fact, the opposite is true. Manchego actually has a fat content of as high as 57 percent, which explains its rich, intoxicating taste.

The cheese is subjected to a rigorous and detailed production process, with the base milk having a 6 percent fat minimum and the aging process limited to fresh areas with a humidity of between 75 and 85percent. Manchego typically is produced in a cylindrical shape with each cheese weighing between 2.5 to 3.5 Kg.