Portugal boasts a wide variety of cheeses which are produced all over the country. As in other countries, products from certain regions made with particular methods and quality standards have a protected designation of origin, Denominação de Origem Protegida (DOP).
Cheese is not usually used for cooking in Portugal. It’s commonly a breakfast food, sliced and perhaps melted on a roll, or enjoyed with a glass of port. Popular with cheese are jams like tomato and cinnamon, pumpkin and walnut, fig and port or quince.
Perhaps the best known cheese is Queijo Serra da Estrela, a raw sheep’s milk cheese from the mountainous region of northern Portugal. Made in the Amanteigado (Portuguese for buttery soft) style with a bold flavour profile, it has a hard rind and a soft spoonable centre. The top of the round is removed so you can just dig in.
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