Top 5 Castelo Branco Cheeses

Queijo Soalheira Quinta Pomar is a family-run artisanal dairy from the village of Soalheira, located at the foothills of the Serra da Gardunha mountain range in central Portugal, founded in 1983. It was created from the Alves family’s desire to produce authentic regional cheeses based on local knowledge and raw materials, primarily sheep’s milk sourced from nearby farms. Production relies on traditional methods, the use of raw milk and vegetable rennet made from thistle flower, combined with modern hygiene standards. The focus is on small batches and consistent quality, without industrial shortcuts. Today, Quinta do Pomar is internationally recognized as one of the most important producers of traditional Portuguese cheeses, with numerous awards and a strong identity closely tied to the terroir of Soalheira.Expand

Malpiqueijo is a cheese producer based in Castelo Branco, Portugal. The company specializes in the production of traditional Portuguese cheeses, including the well-known Queijo de Castelo Branco DOP. They focus on maintaining high-quality standards and preserving artisanal methods in cheese-making. Their products often highlight regional flavors and are part of the Protected Designation of Origin (DOP) certification for authenticity.Expand

The Portuguese region of Beira Baixa produces some of the country's best known traditional cheeses. The region has a long history of agriculture, and its granitic soils and healthy pastures make it the perfect place to create rich, tasty cheese. Beira Baixa cheese is a semi-hard cheese made from sheep’s milk, and it comes in three cheese types: Castelo Branco cheese, Beira Baixa spicy cheese, and Beira Baixa yellow cheese. Two methods are used to produce this cheese – ovelheira, using vegetable rennet (Castelo Branco cheese), and cabreira, using animal rennet (Beira Baixa cheeses). The Castelo Branco variety is semi-hard and yellowish with an accentuated, slightly spicy flavor. The Beira Baixa spicy variant is a hard cheese with no rind and a spicy flavor, while the Beira Baixa yellow cheese is semi-soft and yellowish in color with an intense, pleasant tart flavor. All of the Beira Baixa cheeses are great to use as snacks or appetizers, and served with good fresh bread, it makes it a simple but excellent meal.Expand

Requeijão da Beira Baixa is a cottage cheese from the region of Beira Baixa. The raw goat/sheep milk is not subjected to any kind of fermentation – instead, it is heated and mixed with whey until small flakes start to appear on the surface. The cheese is then placed in traditional fine wicker baskets (known as açafates) to be distributed and sold. This cottage cheese has a soft consistency and is white and creamy with a grainy texture. The aroma is pleasant with a sweet lactic acid note, and it melts in the mouth.
It makes a delicious breakfast, it can be served as a dessert topped with sugar or cinnamon, it goes well with bread and honey or pumpkin jam (doce de abóbora), and it makes a great appetizer simply spread on sliced bread. It is also frequently used as a base for cheesecakes and cheese tarts (queijadas).Expand

Zimbro is a Portuguese cheese produced in the Serra da Estrela mountains. The cheese is made from raw sheep's milk and thistle rennet. It's aged for 60 days in order to produce a thick, pudding-like interior that hides beneath its washed rind. The interior is kept in place as the cheese is traditionally bound with strips of white cloth. The aromas are clean, while the flavors range from herbal and fruity to sweet and slightly sour. The top of the cheese is typically sliced off, and the interior can then be scooped. It's recommended to pair Zimbro with Crianza Rioja.Expand

This Portuguese whey cheese is made from either sheep or goat milk whey left over from the cheesemaking operations in the Beira Baixa historical region, now Castelo Branco. The delicate, unfermented travia has a grainy but spreadable texture, and a pleasant, sweet lactic flavor. In Portugal, travia is one of the breakfast favorites, and it is usually enjoyed fresh, spread over toasted sourdough bread, sprinkled with sugar and ground cinnamon.Expand