Queijo Terrincho

Appearance & taste

Queijo Terrincho is a flat, regular disc without clear edges, slightly sunken in the middle, 12 to 20 cm in diameter, 3 to 6 cm high and weighing 0.7 to 1.1 kg; a small size weighs 0.35 to 0.55 kg. The rind is soft, smooth and pale straw-yellow all over. The paste is uniformly white, dense, slightly creamy and buttery, with few holes, and sometimes loses its shape when cut. The specification describes the smell as intense and the taste as mild, clean and not very sharp. The cheese contains 25 to 50 % fat in dry matter.

After at least 90 days of ripening it is called “Queijo Terrincho Velho” (aged). It is then slightly domed in the middle, has uneven edges and a hard, red, sometimes rough rind. The yellowish paste is hard, not buttery and keeps its shape when cut. The taste is strong, with a balanced mixture of different aromas. The “Velho” may also be sold coated with a paprika paste or in pieces preserved in virgin olive oil.

Production

The sheep graze mainly on mountain land, fallow land and wide uncultivated areas with coarse, sparse grass cover, as well as on meadows and natural pastures. Because the grass is not enough, they are also given rye, barley, oats, beets, lentils and leaves from ash, elm, oak, almond and olive trees, even from vines, as well as straw, hay and cultivated fodder crops such as vetch, lupin, maize and sorghum. All the feed comes from the area; only in times of shortage may up to half of the dry matter in a year come from outside.

The pure raw milk is curdled with animal rennet, the curd is worked so that the whey drains slowly and a compact mass forms, and the cheese is salted. It ripens in rooms at 5 to 12 °C and 80 to 90 % humidity, the “Velho” at 8 to 14 °C and 75 to 85 %. During this time it is washed as often as the appearance of the rind requires, which must always be smooth and clean. For the paprika paste, paprika is mixed with grape marc spirit or virgin olive oil; all the ingredients come from the region. Milk production, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area, as do cutting and packaging.

Origin & history

The area lies in the Terra Quente Transmontana and on the upper Douro, around Mogadouro, Mirandela, Torre de Moncorvo, Vila Flor and Vila Nova de Foz Côa. It consists of hilly plateaus with some steep slopes and acidic, not very fertile soils. Rain falls mainly in winter; in spring there is an abundance of fodder, while the long, dry summer brings scarcity. These conditions favour traditional, extensive sheep farming.

Some accounts link sheep’s cheese production in the region to medieval Christian monasteries. Originally the hardy Badana breed lived here; crossing with Mondegueiro sheep produced the Churra da Terra Quente breed towards the end of the 19th century, which has been fully established since the middle of the 20th century. It is kept mainly for milk production and often gives birth to twins. The Quinta da Terrincha in the Vilariça valley, where the breed comes from, gave it its second name “Terrincha” and the cheese its name. The production and storage techniques have been passed down from generation to generation.