Top 16 Portuguese Natural Rind Cheeses

Azeitão is a semi-soft cheese made from unpasteurized sheep milk. The origins of this cheese date back to the 19th century, when Gaspar Henriques de Paiva emigrated to the town of Azeitão. Out of nostalgia for his place of birth, he imported black dairy sheep from his home town to Azeitão and brought cheesemakers from Beira Baixa to make cheeses. De Paiva's Azeitão cheeses quickly became famous throughout Portugal, winning several awards at agricultural fairs. The milk for this cheese is taken from sheep that graze on natural vegetation in the pastures of Azeitão. The sheep are milked manually, and the milk is mixed with the extract of a local variety of thistle to start the curdling process instead of animal rennet, meaning the cheese is 100% vegetarian. Salt is added to the curd, which is then manually worked and wrapped into muslin cloth bundles, called cinchos. The finished cheese is round and flat with a yellowish crust concealing a light-colored interior with a semi-solid consistency. The flavor is both sour and salty with herby undertones. This runny cheese is best served scooped onto a slice of fresh bread, and also makes a delicious dessert when paired with fruit and a semi-dry white wine.Expand

Serra da Estrela is a semi-soft cheese made from the milk of Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds of sheep. Milking is done by hand, after which the milk is heated, salted, and curdled using thistle extract. The curd is formed into cheeses, which are left to ripen in humid and cold conditions. The cheese has a creamy, semi-soft interior that is yellowish-white in color, while its flavor is clean, sweet, and slightly sour. This cheese is Portugal's oldest, most traditional food product with international acclaim. In the 13th century, the king of Portugal opened the first cheese market in Celorico da Beira, in the Serra da Estrela mountain range, where the cheese is still produced today. This cheese was even present on some of the first ships to sail to the New World. Serra da Estrela is traditionally consumed as an appetizer or dessert, and it pairs well with regional wines from the Dão region and broa—local cornbread. A product rich in tradition and culture, Serra da Estrela cheese is the pride of the region, and it is considered the father of all sheep cheeses in Portugal.Expand

Produced in the district of Beja in eastern Portugal, Serpa is a semi-soft sheep's milk cheese that's similar to Pecorino. Instead of animal rennet, Serpa is curdled using an extract made from a species of thistle that grows in the countryside of Alentejo. The leaves of the plant are dried and soaked in water, and this liquid is added to the heated milk to begin the curdling process. The curd is placed into molds, and the molded cheeses are then gently wrapped in muslin cloth for further ripening. The rind of Serpa is thin and malleable, while the cheese's interior is semi-soft and yellowish-white in color. Serpa is the most famous traditional Alentejano cheese, and its strong flavor is a fundamental part of the region's cultural heritage. It is perfect for any occasion and makes a great appetizer or snack when served with fresh bread and a glass of wine. It's also used in numerous local baked dishes, such as pork ribs with baked ham and Serpa cheese.Expand

This hard cheese is made from raw goat milk taken from Serrana breed. Goat cheese has long played an important role in the economy of the Bragança region, and many of the local families raise animals and produce cheese as their main source of subsistence. Once the goats are milked, the milk is filtered and heated. The curd is then salted and cured at a low temperature and high humidity. Transmontano cheese is round with a semi-hard crust, and is uniform, smooth, and white. It is a firm cheese with an intense and pleasant aroma and a slight spicy note. This goat cheese has a moisture content between 25% and 35%. It is usually consumed as is, and is quite popular either as an appetizer or after a meal with sliced bread and a local red wine.Expand

This sheep cheese is a part of Alentejo's traditional cheese heritage. Cheese has long been an integral part of the life of the region's peasant families. An important part of the daily diet, especially for the poorer classes, cheese was even used to pay wages. Évora cheese is made from unpasteurized milk from Merino breed sheep that graze freely in the pastures of the region. Raw milk is filtered through cloths and heavily salted, and then it is heated by a wood fire. Once the curd has formed, the cheese is left to mature for a month. Évora cheese has a well-formed, smooth, yellow crust. The aroma and flavor are slightly sour and spicy, and the flavor becomes more pronounced when the cheese is left to age longer. It is traditionally consumed as a snack or appetizer with homemade bread and a glass of wine.Expand

This hard cheese is produced exclusively on the island of Pico in the Portuguese Azores. The climate on the island, although quite harsh, is particularly good for raising cattle. Due to the fact that the island was separated from the mainland by long boat trips in the past, the only way to make use of the milk produced by the island's cattle was to produce cheese. Pico is made from cow's milk that's curdled with animal rennet. The curd is salted and formed into cheeses that are left to mature for a month in cold and humid conditions. Pico cheese is round, flat, and smooth with a yellow rind and a doughy white interior with a soft texture. Its fat content is about 50%, making it very moist, and it has a strong, salty flavor and an intense aroma. The cheese is traditionally consumed at the end of a big meal, ideally accompanied by Verdelho do Pico wine.Expand

This hard cow's milk cheese hails from the Azores. São Jorge cheese is still made from milk taken from free-grazing island cattle using traditional processing methods, and its wheel shape, size, and firm texture have been consistent for the past 200 years. The milk is curdled with animal rennet and the whey is extracted and salted before being pressed into cheese molds and left to mature. São Jorge cheese has a thick, smooth, dark yellow rind. The interior of the cheese is yellowish in colour with a smooth, semi-hard consistency. It has a pronounced, clean flavor with a spicy note. The cheese is widely used in dishes both simple and elaborate, and it is often used to add extra flavor to mashed potatoes or croquettes. Fondue made with São Jorge cheese is considered a delicacy. The cheese pairs quite well with both red wine and vintage Port.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

This semi-hard cheese is made from ewes' milk taken from local Merino breed sheep in the region of Portalegre in eastern Portugal. The milk is curdled, salted, and formed into cheeses before being left to ripen for about two months in cold and humid conditions. Nisa cheese is semi-hard and yellowish-white in color, and its flavor is robust with a mildly acidic note. It is best enjoyed with bread and wine, especially if the wine comes from Portalegre. This cheese is traditionally consumed as a snack during the day or as an ingredient in traditional dishes, such as quiche de legumes, a pie made with carrots, zucchini, and cheese. Nisa cheese, the production of which is confined to just a few dozen local family-run dairy farms, was listed as one of the 100 best cheeses in the world by Wine Spectator magazine in 2008.Expand

Omorro amanteigado is a soft cow's milk cheese originating from Faial island in the Azores. The milk is pasteurized and comes from Holstein and Simmental cows. The dairy is located near the natural reserve of Morro del Castelo Branco, and this cheese has been produced there since 2012 by Rui Caldeira and his family. Omorro is very creamy and buttery in texture, while the flavor is slightly tangy with savory notes. The cheese can be sliced, but its top can also be peeled off and the gooey interior can be used as a decadent dip. Apart from the flagship cheese, there are also versions flavored with hot peppers and garlic-and-parsley.Expand