Marganell Mató

The home of the best mató (whey cheese) today is Marganell. According to records, the people of this town were the first to come to the market in Montserrat to sell this extremely popular product.

Mató has been and continues to be a very well-known product in central Catalonia. There is written evidence of mató in Montserrat as early as the late 19th century, although its consumption dates much further back. It was sold by peasant women in the little market of Montserrat when the people of the local towns began making whey cheese with the surplus milk they had left over. That whey cheese eventually became the popular mató that we know today.

Mató is a type of fresh cheese with less fat than most. It is made by hand, boiling the milk until it curdles.

It can be prepared using sheep’s, goat’s or cow’s milk, and can be eaten throughout the year. The most traditional way to eat it is with honey or sugar.

First, the milk is boiled in a pasteurizer and, once boiled, it is placed in a stainless steel bucket to cool and curdle.

When this process is complete, the mató is separated from the whey (the liquid left over from the curdling process, which is not used). It is then placed inside some large molds covered in cheesecloth so that it reaches a suitable temperature and the remaining whey is drained. The mató is then placed in various molds of different sizes also with cheesecloth and left to cool in the fridge until it is ready to eat.

Mató has a smooth, slightly gelatinous texture, with a fresh and moist flavor. 

Every year, the Fira de la Coca i el Mató (Coca and Mató Fair) is held in Monistrol in the months of October and November. The stalls with handmade mató, cheeses, honey and coca pastries are always there. There is also a coca competition and discussions about mató.

This product can be purchased in:

Agrobotiga, Caseta de Fusta

Address: Carretera BV-1123

08298 – Marganell 

Phone: 625 26 19 44

info@agroinfomarganell.cat

facebook.com/agroBotigademarganell  

Mel de Montserrat - Masía Magí del Gras

08298 – Marganell 

Phone: 93 835 71 56 / 608 508 639

www.meldemontserrat.com (under construction)

Cal Pujolet

Carretera de Marganell BV-1123 - Km. 5.2.

08298 – Marganell 

Phone: 93 835 70 67

http://www.matodemontserrat.cat

Can Florí

Sant Esteve, 38

08298 – Marganell 

Phone: 93 835 71 50 / 93 835 70 68

Cell: 626 41 28 20

http://www.matodemontserrat.com                     

Masía Can Fermí

Carretera de Marganell BV-1123 - Km. 5,2.

08298 – Marganell

Phone: 93 835 74 88 / 608 448 988 (Fermí) / 93 835 74 96 / 608 944 555 (Rodolfo)

http://masiacanfermi.cat

http://matodemontserrat.org

Cal Santamaria

08298 - Marganell

Phone: 93 455 31 82