🇵🇹 Portuguese cheeses

Cheeses of Portugal are the cheeses of mainland Portugal and the Azores, from soft, buttery Serra da Estrela to hard, sharp São Jorge. On the mainland sheep milk dominates, the mountains of Trás-os-Montes also use goat milk, and on the green, rainy Azores cheese is made from cow's milk.

The hallmark of the Portuguese tradition is curdling milk with cardoon thistle flowers (Cynara cardunculus) instead of animal rennet. Several raw sheep milk cheeses are made this way: Serra da Estrela from the mountains of central Portugal, Azeitão from the Setúbal peninsula, and Évora, Nisa and Serpa from the Alentejo. They have a delicate, often runny paste and a herbal, slightly tangy taste.

Other styles: Queijo da Beira Baixa from sheep or goat milk, Terrincho from sheep milk and the goat cheese Cabra Transmontano from Trás-os-Montes, and Rabaçal from a mix of sheep and goat milk. The Azores produce large, hard wheels of São Jorge on São Jorge island and the soft Queijo do Pico.

In the EU register eAmbrosia, Portugal has 12 protected cheese names: 11 PDO and 1 PGI, Queijo mestiço de Tolosa, made from mixed sheep and goat milk. Each may only be made in its own area under an approved specification; the legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2024/1143.

How to choose and serve: a young Serra da Estrela is eaten with a spoon — cut off the top crust and scoop out the soft paste. Aged sheep cheeses are sliced and served with bread, olives and quince paste (marmelada); São Jorge is grated or served with wine. Keep raw milk cheeses cold and let them warm up before serving.

Why it matters to you: knowing the region and the way the milk is curdled tells you a lot about a cheese's taste before you buy it, and the PDO mark confirms it was made in its home area by the traditional method.