DOÑA LEONOR DE ALBURQUERQUE

Albuquerque, located in the foothills of the Sierra de San Pedro, north of the province of Badajoz (Extremadura) and surrounded by places of unparalleled beauty and with the charm and magic of large holm oak meadows that gave the name to the village, Albus-Quercus (white oak).   Dona Leonor de Albuquerque, a person linked to the history of Alburquerque, was the daughter of the infant Sancho de Castilla and of the Infanta Beatriz of Portugal and granddaughter of Pedro I of Portugal and Inés de Castro. She was mother of the infant Don Enrique of Aragon, who in 1430, gave to the town of Alburquerque of the lands that were in his power and that constituted Los Baldios de Albuquerque, with an approximate extension of 43000 hectares, in which they grazed the goats that constituted the sustenance of a great number of families. Grazing, being communal lands, was carried out by people who received a salary, gathering, every day at dawn, the heads of cattle of the different owners, and delivering the same, in each house, at the end of the day.   This way of life was the basis of a cheese tradition that, in an artisan way, we wanted to recover with our cheeses, also contributing our innovative spirit to bring to the consumer unique and exclusive products that are the perfect result of the pairing of delicacies of our land such as goat’s milk, Iberian ham, boletus and olives.       Also, following the artisan guidelines, we elaborate a line of traditional cheeses, semi-cured and cured, that delight the most demanding consumer.