Traditionally, a whole wheel of Serra da Estrela is shared with friends and family; the top rind is sliced off, and the cheese is scooped out and spread on bread with a spoon.
Serra da Estrela cheese is so soft that it is almost spreadable. It has a rich, perfumed intensity as a result of the superb grazing (the long horn sheep feed on wild herbs), buttery, with a slightly sweet burnt toffee flavour (a characteristic of ewe's milk).
This cured cheese is hand-made, & has a creamy, white or slightly yellow colour, with a uniform (without holes or just a few) texture obtained from the slow draining of curdled-milk, coagulated with cardoon thistle (Cynara Cadunculus). It has a soft, well formed rind, smooth and thin, with an uniform straw-yellow colour. Serra da Estrela cheese has a fat content of 45%.
Serra da Estrela is the king of Portuguese cheese and has been made for centuries by shepherds in the mountains of Serra da Estrela in the Beiras region. Made of sheep milk, mostly during the months of November to March, it is a Denomina??o de Origem Protegida (DOP) cheese and thus its production has very rigorous rules.
Top qualaty cheese
Place of Origin: | Portugal |
Origin: | Sheep |
Texture: | Soft & Semi-Soft |
Type: | Goat & Sheep Cheese |
Category: | Cheese |