Ties with the land

Historically, Camerano cheese has been closely bound up with the lands of La Rioja. The society of the Camerano and of the high pastures in general was organised around bodies such as the Mesta, and activities such as the seasonal livestock droves or the folklore, customs, gastronomy, etc. revolving round the work of livestock breeding and animal grazing. One of these traditions was that of cheese making. In a simple economy based on subsistence farming and barter, cheese was an essential product in the home economy of Riojan mountain dwelling families. The importance and value of the cheeses is even reflected in some of the taxes that were paid to the feudal lords of the Camerano which were paid in cheese.

As Gonzalo de Berceo mentions in his “Complete Works”, cheese from the Cameros has been a part of the lives of Riojans since the 13th century. We can therefore say it is a cheese with nearly 700 years’ history.