A small, oozing thistle-set sheep cheese eaten with a spoon. It was created near Setúbal in the 1830s by Gaspar Henriques de Paiva, who brought Serra da Estrela shepherds down to Azeitão, and it is DOP protected.
It is a raw-milk DOP set with thistle coagulant and ripened in a controlled store; the coagulant, the milk and the ripening room are all specific to the appellation.
What goes into it
- raw sheep’s milk from the Setúbal peninsula
- cardoon thistle extract
- salt
How it is made
Cardoon flower extract sets the raw milk into a delicate curd, which is drained and bound in cloth into small rounds and salted. The rounds ripen for three weeks or more in a cool humid store, turned and washed, until the rind holds and the paste inside turns almost liquid.
How long it takes: at least 20 days, usually a month or more
How it is eaten
At room temperature with the top cut off, scooped onto bread with a glass of Setúbal red.
History
Created near Setúbal in the 1830s by Gaspar Henriques de Paiva, who brought Serra da Estrela shepherds to Azeitão; DOP protected.
Frequently asked questions
What is Queijo de Azeitão?
Queijo de Azeitão is a cheese & dairy from Portugal: small, oozing thistle-set sheep cheese eaten with a spoon. Created near Setúbal in the 1830s by Gaspar Henriques de Paiva, who brought Serra da Estrela shepherds to Azeitão; DOP protected.
How is Queijo de Azeitão made?
Cardoon flower extract sets the raw milk into a delicate curd, which is drained and bound in cloth into small rounds and salted. The rounds ripen for three weeks or more in a cool humid store, turned and washed, until the rind holds and the paste inside turns almost liquid. It takes at least 20 days, usually a month or more.
Can I make Queijo de Azeitão at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a raw-milk DOP set with thistle coagulant and ripened in a controlled store; the coagulant, the milk and the ripening room are all specific to the appellation.
What goes into Queijo de Azeitão?
Raw sheep’s milk from the Setúbal peninsula, cardoon thistle extract, salt.
How is Queijo de Azeitão eaten?
At room temperature with the top cut off, scooped onto bread with a glass of Setúbal red.
