Queijo de Azeitão

Appearance & taste

Queijo de Azeitão is a flattened, regularly shaped cylinder, bulging at the sides, on top and at the not quite straight edges. The normal size weighs about 250 g, measures 6 to 11 cm in diameter and is 3 to 5 cm high; the small size weighs about 100 g with a diameter of 5 to 7 cm and a height of 2 to 4 cm. The rind is smooth, fine, uniformly yellow, fairly soft and malleable.

The paste is firm and buttery, creamy and supple, white or yellowish, with irregular holes or none at all; the cut edge is slightly malleable and sometimes crumbly. The specification describes the taste as slightly piquant, a mixture of sharp and salty with a mild, delicate aroma. The fat content is over 45 % and under 60 % in dry matter.

The label carries the words “Queijo de Azeitão – Denominação de Origem Protegida” or “Queijo de Azeitão DOP”.

Production

The sheep are bred and kept in the area and eat only grass, hay and silage from there. Feed from outside is only allowed when feed is scarce, for example after exceptional weather or fires, and at most up to 50 % of the dry matter per year. After milking, the milk may be stored at below 4 °C for at most 48 hours.

The pure raw sheep’s milk is not otherwise heat-treated but only warmed to 30 to 32 °C. At the cheesemaker’s discretion, salt is added, at most 25 g per litre. It is coagulated with a preparation of cardoons made a few hours beforehand; coagulation takes 45 to 60 minutes at 30 to 40 °C, until the paste no longer sticks to the side of the vat. The curd drains slowly in a mould or cloth, is worked by hand on a cheese table (“mesa francela”) in a large mould (“trincho”), then filled into small moulds and pressed firmly by hand.

Ripening takes place in two phases of eight to twelve days each, first at 8 to 14 °C and 65 to 99 % humidity, then at 10 to 20 °C and 55 to 88 %. In total it lasts at least 16 days. Milk production, cheesemaking, ripening and affinage take place in the area.

Origin & history

The area covers the municipalities of Palmela, Setúbal and Sesimbra. The rocks and relief of the Arrábida and São Luís mountains determine sheep farming and feed. The soils range from the calcareous soils of the Serra da Arrábida through sandy soils with stone pines, cork oaks and mixed woodland to sparsely wooded arable land; in the Azeitão region, loamy gravel and sandy soils predominate. Many Mediterranean species grow on the pastures, legumes such as clover and medick, and grasses such as cocksfoot, fescue and ryegrass.

Spring and autumn are the best times for plant growth, with water in the soil and temperatures above 10 °C; they are also considered ideal for the first ripening phase. The cheese was once made only seasonally; today, thanks to technical developments, it is made all year round. The nearness of the sea brings mild temperatures and high humidity to the basin of the Serra da Arrábida, which shape the microflora of the cheese dairies. According to the specification, the method of production has been passed down from generation to generation, and the cheese has an important place in the diet of the population.