PASTURES, MILK AND TIME
Traditional cheeses of Portugal
Sheep, goat or cow; buttery, semi-hard or firm. Portuguese cheeses reflect their pastures, local breeds, thistle rennet, salt and different ageing traditions.
What we are counting
The number counts only entries whose principal product is cheese in the official DGADR Cheese and Milk Products category. Butter, whey cheeses and travia are excluded.REFERENCE GUIDE
17 entries, from the mainland to the islands
Queijo da Beira Baixa DOP
A PDO designation covering Castelo Branco, Amarelo da Beira Baixa and Picante da Beira Baixa cheeses.
Queijo de Azeitão DOP
A cured raw sheep’s-milk cheese with a semi-soft, buttery paste and a full, gently tangy flavour.
Queijo de Cabra das Beiras
A traditional goat’s cheese from the Beiras, appreciated for its characteristic flavour and firm texture when matured.
Queijo de Cabra do Algarve
A traditional Algarve goat’s cheese, appreciated for its fresh to firm texture and characteristic slightly tangy flavour.
Queijo de Cabra do Guadiana
A traditional goat’s cheese from the Guadiana area of the Alentejo, appreciated for its characteristic flavour and firm texture when matured.
Queijo de Cabra do Pinhal Maior
A traditional goat’s cheese from the Pinhal Maior area of central Portugal, with a characteristic flavour that becomes more intense as it matures.
Queijo de Cabra Transmontano DOP
A traditional PDO cheese from Trás-os-Montes, made exclusively from raw Serrana goat’s milk and known for its firm texture and distinctive, slightly piquant flavour.
Queijo de Évora DOP
A traditional PDO cheese from the Évora region, made from raw sheep’s milk and known for its firm texture and slightly piquant flavour.
Queijo de Nisa DOP
A traditional PDO cheese from Alto Alentejo, made from raw sheep’s milk and known for its firm texture and intense, slightly piquant flavour.
Queijo de Tomar
A traditional cheese from Tomar, usually made from sheep’s milk and recognised by its small cylindrical shape and distinctive rind.
Queijo do Pico DOP
A cured raw cow’s-milk cheese with a semi-soft, buttery ivory paste.
Queijo Mestiço de Tolosa IGP
A traditional PGI cheese from Tolosa, Alto Alentejo, made from a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk and known for its firm texture and distinctive flavour.
Queijo Rabaçal DOP
A traditional PDO cheese from the Rabaçal region, made from a mixture of sheep’s and goat’s milk and known for its distinctive aromatic flavour.
Queijo São Jorge DOP
A cured raw cow’s-milk cheese with a hard or semi-hard paste and an intense, sometimes piquant flavour.
Queijo Serpa DOP
A traditional PDO sheep’s milk cheese from the Alentejo, known for its creamy to semi-soft texture and intense, slightly piquant flavour.
Queijo Serra da Estrela DOP
A cured raw sheep’s-milk cheese, buttery when young and firmer and more intense in its aged form.
Queijo Terrincho DOP
A cured raw Churra da Terra Quente sheep’s-milk cheese with a semi-hard to hard paste and a flavour that intensifies with age.