Fuerteventura tastes of sea, salt, and grazing goats. This volcanic and arid island is home to a unique gastronomic delicacy, Majorero cheese. Majorero is the name given to Fuerteventura natives, and comes from Maxorata, the ancient name of the island.

Its home,the Majorero Cheese Museum, is located in Antigua and is a visit not to be missed if you want to find out more about the protagonists of the history, culture, and identity of the people of Fuerteventura.

The goat

The majorera goat has been roaming the island of Fuerteventura for two thousand years. The extreme conditions to which it has had to adapt to survive, the desert climate, aridity, scarcity of water, and vegetation have made this species one of the strongest and most productive on the planet.

It is so exclusive, productive, and valuable that it is being carefully protected from extinction thanks to the work of the Fuerteventura Goat Breeders Association and is even being exported to other parts of the world.

Antigua, where Caleta de Fuste is located, has a historic rural and livestock tradition, with countless cattle ranches scattered across the municipality that ensure the production of our culinary star: the world-renowned and award-winning majorero cheese.

Cheese

From the shepherding of the Majorero goats and the traditional and experienced work of the island’s farmers comes a delicious cheese.

Majorero cheese has had the Protected Designation of Origin seal since 1996, being the first cheese in the Canary Islands and the first goat cheese in Spain to receive this award. The product has accumulated a multitude of international awards and mentions that indisputably position it as one of the best goat cheeses on the planet.

However, it goes without saying that the greatest guarantee of its exquisiteness is the personal experience of everyone who tastes it.

What is Majorero Cheese like? It is made with 100% goat’s milk, has a cylindrical shape, and weighs between 1 and 6 kilos. Its texture is creamy and its acidic and slightly spicy flavor surprises each and every palate.

Depending on the ripening period, there are three types of majorero cheese: soft, semi-cured and cured. In addition, it can be covered on the outside in different ways: with oil, paprika or gofio, giving rise to all the varieties permitted by the Denomination of Origin, all of which are exquisite.

The museum

The entire island of Fuerteventura, with its goats, its farms, and its cheese factories is the home of Majorero cheese. However, its center and core is in Antigua, at the Majorero Cheese Museum.

The space where it is located, at the southern entrance of the town of Antigua, has many attractions. These include an imposing mill to grind grain and make gofio, another of the great protagonists of the local traditional cuisine, an Asset of Cultural Interest along with 22 other mills on Fuerteventura; a huge garden home to cacti, native plants, and other palm trees; a restaurant and a store.

And, of course, the museum space, the interpretation center of the acclaimed Majorero Cheese, which offers a walk through the history of Fuerteventura from its volcanic formation, through the aborigines, livestock, economy, traditions, and of course, cheese.

Let yourself be captivated by traditional flavors, the flavors of Fuerteventura.

Open from Monday to Sunday from 9:30 am to 5:30 pm.

More information: museoquesomajorero.es