Hoja Santa

Hoja Santa is an unctuous  goat’s milk cheese enveloped in ‘Piper Auritum’ leaves otherwise known as the herb, Hoja Santa (meaning ‘sacred leaf’ in Spanish). ‘Piper Auritum’ is an aromatic plant from the Piperaceae family. It grows in Mesoamerica.The leaves can reach up to 30cm in diameter. The complex fragrance of the hoja santa plant is not easy to describe, it has been compared to eucalyptus, liquorice, aniseed, nutmeg, mint, tarragon and pepper.

The American cheese-maker Paula Lambert invented this goat’s milk cheese, enveloped in the leaves of hoja santa, which gives the cheese the flavour of the herb.