🧀 Queijo de Nisa

Queijo de Nisa is a cured Portuguese cheese with a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), registered in the EU in 1996. According to the specification it is a semi-hard, closed cheese with a whitish-yellow paste and a few small eyes, made by slowly draining the curd of raw sheep milk.

Milk and making. The milk comes only from ewes kept in the production area, mostly regional Merino sheep. The only coagulant allowed is an infusion of cardoon (Cynara cardunculus L.), used at 25–28 °C for 45–60 minutes. The curd is moulded and pressed by hand and salted with common coarse salt. Ripening has two stages: 15–18 days at 8–10 °C and 30–40 days at 10–14 °C; the minimum ripening time is 45 days.

Look and taste. The finished cheese has a firm, whitish-yellow rind and a typical smell and flavour; the DGADR description speaks of a slightly acidic taste and an intense aroma. It is made in the original size (13–16 cm across, 800–1300 g) or as a smaller merendeira (10–12 cm, 200–400 g).

Area. The production area covers eight municipalities in the district of Portalegre: Nisa, Crato, Castelo de Vide, Marvão, Portalegre, Monforte, Arronches and Alter do Chão.