Queijo de Évora
Queijo de Évora is a Portuguese cured PDO cheese made from raw Merina Branca ewe's milk in the Alentejo.
Queijo de Évora is a Portuguese cured PDO cheese made from raw ewe's milk of the Merina Branca breed in the Évora district of the Alentejo. The paste is yellowish, semi-hard or hard, and the cheese comes in a small size and a larger «merendeira». The taste is slightly spicy and acidic.
The milk is filtered through a salty cloth, warmed over a low wood fire and clotted with an infusion of thistle (Cynara cardunculus) of a local variety; after 20–40 minutes the whey is removed. Ripening lasts 30 days for a semi-hard paste and 90 for a hard one, at 8–15 °C and 80–95 % humidity. Formats: small hard (6–8 cm, 60–90 g), hard merendeira (12–14 cm, 120–200 g) and semi-hard merendeira (13–15 cm, 200–300 g).
The area is 16 municipalities of the Évora district, among them Évora, Arraiolos, Montemor-o-Novo, Portel and Vila Viçosa. It belongs to the old Alentejo cheesemaking tradition that grew from plentiful ewe's milk: cheese was daily food and wages were sometimes partly paid in cheese. The harder the cheese, the stronger its flavour.
Why it matters to you: look for Queijo de Évora with the PDO mark on the label. It is clotted with thistle infusion, not animal rennet, so its taste and texture differ from cheeses set with rennet.
Facts
| Registered | PDO; Reg. (EC) 1107/96 (1996) |
|---|---|
| Raw material | Raw ewe's milk (Merina Branca), thistle infusion |
| Region | 16 municipalities of Évora district, Portugal |
| Duration | 30 days (semi-hard) or 90 days (hard) |
How it connects to Cheese
Queijo de Évora → kind of → 🧀 Semi-hard cheeses → kind of → 🧀 Cheese
Links
- Made from which milk
- 🥛 Sheep's milk
- Part of
- 🧀 Semi-hard cheeses, 🏷️ Protected cheese names, 🇵🇹 Portuguese cheeses
Frequently asked questions
What milk is Queijo de Évora made from?
Raw ewe's milk of the Merina Branca breed.
What clots the milk?
An infusion of thistle (Cynara cardunculus) of a local variety.
How long is it ripened?
30 days for a semi-hard paste and 90 days for a hard one.
What sizes does it come in?
Small hard 6–8 cm and 60–90 g; merendeira 12–14 cm (120–200 g) or 13–15 cm (200–300 g).
Is it true that Queijo de Évora is a goat's cheese?
No. It is made from raw ewe's milk.
Similar
🧀 Queijo de Nisa · Queijo Terrincho · Queijo Rabaçal · Queijo da Beira Baixa · Queijo mestiço de Tolosa · 🧀 Casciotta d'Urbino
ℹ️ Dairy products contain lactose and milk proteins: if you are lactose intolerant or allergic to milk protein, ask a doctor.