 One
of the most effusive invitations to visit Portugal is
addressed to you by its regional specialities, of which
the various cheeses are amongst some of the most flavoursome.
First of all, you must try the Queijo da Serra, the well-known
cheese made from ewe's milk and produced in the mountainous
region of Serra da Estrela (between the months of November
and March).
This cheese has its own unmistakable aroma and flavour,
and depending on its degree of ripeness may be either
soft and buttery or semi-hard.
You can buy this speciality at the Cheese Fairs held
in the region's villages and towns during the months
of February and March.
According to some historians, the Queijo da Serra is
a direct ancestor of the Queijo de Serpa (from the Alentejo)
and the Queijo de Azeitão (from the region close
to Setúbal). Both of these are produced in smaller
sizes, but they have a similar consistency and texture.
Another very typical cheese that also comes from the
Beiras region is the Queijo de Castelo Branco, which
is also referred to as Cabreiro (goat's cheese) and has
a very strong aroma and flavour.
Amongst the cheeses that are best eaten when still soft,
perhaps the most common are the small-sized queijos saloios
(from the region round Lisbon, such as those from Alverca,
Alcobaça and Rio Maior). These cheeses actually
descended from the queijo de Tomar, which can also be
eaten when hard, or even after being preserved for a
while in olive-oil, which gives the cheese a very distinctive
flavour.
Mention should also be made of the Queijo Rabaçal
(originating from the region of Ansião and Penela,
close to Coimbra). This cheese is made from ewe's milk,
which is also sometimes mixed with goat's milk. It has
a larger size than most cheeses and is best eaten when
still soft or semi-hard.
From the Alentejo, there are the Queijos de Niza (made
from ewe's and goat's milk). These are hard handmade
cheeses, yellowish-white in colour, with an oily texture,
a strong aroma and a slightly acid taste. There are also
the queijos de Évora, made from ewe's milk, which
are small in size and famous for their strong, spicy
flavour.
The Queijo da Ilha, made from cow's milk and produced
on the island of São Jorge in the Azores, is a
cheese that normally comes in very large blocks, sometimes
weighing as much as 5 to 7 kilos. It is a cured cheese,
with a firm consistency, yellowish in colour, hard or
semi-hard, with a strong aroma and a sharp, slightly
spicy taste. Another typical cheese from the archipelago
is the Queijo do Pico, a handmade cheese made from cow's
milk and round in shape.
Article © 2002-2006, Oporto,
Portugal
|
