All rights Reserved © Come to Portugal 2011-2023
TM
Cheeses of Portugal and it’s Regions
Azeitao
It’s said that only experienced artisans have the know-how to produce this gourmet cheese. Made for generations at Arrabida Mountains region, just 45 klm east of Lisbon a unpasteurized sheep’s milk cheese produced with the thistle flower instead of animal rennet so suitable for vegetarians. It produces a thick, smooth, soft cheese with a strong, earthy aroma. When ripe, Azeitao has a rich, creamy, slightly sour flavour Best left at room temperature, the cheese becomes soft for spreading
Portugal.Castelo Branco
This can be sheep or goat’s milk cheese is common all over Portugal, . Castelo Branco, is about 280km northeast of Lisbon the area that gives the cheese its name. White/pale yellow in colour, the semi-soft cheese has a natural rind and a very intense aroma .normally sold in large rounds of ½ kilo plus and Often eaten as a dessert cheese
Evora
From the name of the capital of the province of Alto Alentejo, about 150 km east of Lisbon, these small hard cheeses are fairly strong and salty and split into strips under a knife. Also known as "queijinhos do Alentejo" (little cheeses from Alentejo), they are sometimes preserved in olive oil and are then less hard. Often eaten with cured meats
Rabaçal
Produced in the province of Beira Litoral 200 km north of Lisbon, Rabaçal is a cheese weighing about 1 kg, with a white curd, made from sheep's milk and almost often served when fresh.
You'll find Rabaçal cheeses are not as strong as the goats cheese but you can find that sometimes mixture of milk is used but they're only derivatives - though sometimes honourable ones - of the real thing.
Sao Jorge
If you miss your cheddar then this is the strong flavour cow’s milk cheese is produced in the Sao Jorge in the Azores Islands. Firm to semi-firm, it has the yellow cheddar colour The dark yellow rind is hard and can be eaten Sao Jorge has a strong, clean taste.
Saloio
A small unsalted firm fresh cheese, always served in the cylindrical moulds (cinchos) used in making it, quiet a small cheese round. This cheese is often served as an appetizer with a little salt.
Known more in and around the Lisbon area it is usual to offer these cheeses as part of the cover They're produced in the region between Lisbon and Sintra. often seen sold at local markets
Santarém
A small round cheese eaten after a fairly long soak in olive oil. Its name comes from its town of origin, the capital of Ribatejo province, a centre of Portuguese gastronomy about 180 km northeast of Lisbon, on the north bank of the Tage.
Serpa
In this little town of the Baixo Alentejo, about 200 km southeast of Lisbon, they produce a brick-coloured cheese. The colour comes from the fact that, as the cheese ages, the rind is regularly brushed with olive oil tinted with sweet paprika.
This cheese is produced only from February to June and requires two years aging in cheese cellars. A wonderful cheese to eat with cured meats as a meal
Serpa
A traditional cheese from southern Portugal, Serpa gets its strong scent and flavour from the grazing and pastures of the Alentejo region. Made from sheep’s milk, the cheese is curdled with vegetable rennet so Vegetarian come wrapped in a soft cloth. Inside the natural rind, a very creamy when cut. Serpa a good traditional cheese of the region
Serra da Estrela
Perhaps the best of all Portugal cheese and exported to delis across the world a sheep’s milk cheese that has been made for centuries by shepherds in the Serra da Estrela Mountains in Beira. Hand crafted under tight quality control mostly hand made Soft and spread able, the white cheese is smooth, with a distinct aroma and flavour.
Terrincho
Originating from the Tras-os-Montes region of Portugal, this sheep’s milk cheese is characterized by a cylindrical shape and a flat, even rind that's covered with paprika. Inside, the straw coloured flesh has an oily texture and a soft, smooth flavour. One variety of Terrincho is cured in wooden barrels filled with rye to give it a distinctive rye taste.
Open air market selling regional cheeses
Supermarket huge choice soft cheeses
