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Cheese from Portugal, Alentejo

Queijo de Évora PDOQueijo de Évora

Raw ewe milk from the Alentejo is set with an aqueous extract of cardoon (thistle) flowers, and the curd is left to drain slowly. Salt goes into the curd or onto both faces. The small cheeses ripen for weeks to months and turn from a moist semi-hard paste into a hard, sharp one.

Fully documentedCheese30 days – 3.9 monthsPDO (EU, registered 1996; PDO-PT-0251)Family: Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedFarm and dairy practice with no fixed amounts in the sources opened.
Pure raw ewe milk[evora-sum]
Aqueous extract of cardoon flowers (Cynara cardunculus L.)The only coagulant allowed[evora-sum][carvalho2020]
SaltMixed into the curd, or spread on the top and bottom faces[carvalho2020]

Total time across the recorded steps: 30 days – 3.9 months

Start
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30–32 °C

What changes: An extract of cardoon flowers goes into the raw ewe milk and sets it

Step 1 of 4
Set the raw milk with cardoon
Time
40 min
Reported
Temperature
30–32 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

The cardoon enzymes, called cardosins, keep working on the casein during ripening.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Raw ewe milk from the Alentejo is set with an aqueous extract of cardoon (thistle) flowers, and the curd is left to drain slowly. Salt goes into the curd or onto both faces. The small cheeses ripen for weeks to months and turn from a moist semi-hard paste into a hard, sharp one. Made in 4 steps over 30 days – 3.9 months. The longest step, ripen, takes 30 days – 3.9 months (P Carvalho G 2020) and runs at 14–15 °C (P Carvalho G 2020). Lactic acid bacteria of the raw ewe milk, counted on MRS agar; about 6.5 log cfu/g at day 0, then roughly ten times higher within 15 days does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step30 days – 3.9 monthsReported[carvalho2020]Ripen
Temperature14–15 °CReported[carvalho2020]Ripen
AciditypH 5 → 4.6Measured[carvalho2020]Ripen

What makes this one different

A small raw ewe cheese of the Évora area, set only with cardoon-flower extract and drained slowly, then cured to a semi-hard or hard paste with few or no holes. It is usually sold 6 to 12 months after making.

Milk
Raw ewe milk only
Coagulant
Cardoon (Cynara cardunculus) flower extract only
Moisture
53.3 % at 30 days and 20.7 % at 120 days of ripening

Related ferments

Safety

The cheese is made from raw milk. Over 120 days of ripening the pH fell to about 4.6 and the water activity to about 0.8.

Hazards the sources name: Enterobacteria, counted at 3.8 to 7.2 log cfu/g over 25 days of ripening, depending on position in the ripening room.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The PDO file rests on descriptions by Mendes and Almeida (1948) and on University of Évora studies of 1989–1990. The name was registered as a PDO under Regulation (EC) No 1107/96. Rivara, cited by Rodrigues and colleagues, says these cheeses were once the daily pay of farm workers.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
  1. [evora-sum] Application for registration, PDO 'Queijo de Évora', summary sheet PT/0251 (Regulation (EC) No 1107/96), eAmbrosia registerspec
  2. [carvalho2020] P Carvalho G, Santos R, Fino A, Ferreira P, M Rodrigues F, Dias J 2020, Evolution during Three Ripening Stages of Évora Cheese, Foods 9(9):1140paper
  3. [dias2021] Dias JM, Lage P, Alvarenga N, Garcia J, Borrega J, Santos MT, Lampreia C, Coelho L, Pássaro J, Martins J, Caeiro J, Gonçalves EM, Martins A 2021, Impact of environmental conditions on the ripening of Queijo de Évora PDO cheese, Journal of Food Science and Technology 58(10):3942–3952paper