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Cheese from Portugal, Trás-os-Montes

Queijo de Cabra Transmontano

Raw milk from Serrana goats is set with animal rennet, and curdling must take place within 40–60 minutes; the curds are then strained slowly. The cheese ripens at least 60 days, or 90 days for the harder Velho, at 5–12 °C and 70–85 % relative humidity.

Fully documentedCheese2 monthsPDO (DOP); registered 1996 by Reg. (EC) No 1263/96, amended by Reg. (EU) No 436/2013Family: Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates)

Recipe

Queijo de Cabra Transmontano, a photo from Wikimedia Commons
Photo: Adriao, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
No fixed amounts recordedThe specification gives no amounts. A cheese weighs 0.3–0.6 kg or 0.6–0.9 kg in its two sizes.
Raw goat milkPure milk of Serrana goats reared in the area[oj-2012]
Animal rennet[oj-2012]
Edible salt[oj-2012]
Olive oil and paprikaoptionalFor coating the Velho, which turns the rind red[oj-2012]
StarterIn a 2024 study of seven artisanal Transmontano cheeses, the authors say starter cultures and rennet supported the fermentation and coagulation.

Total time across the recorded steps: 2 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: raw milk from Serrana goats, pH 6.5 to 6.9

Step 1 of 4
Start with raw Serrana goat milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactococcus
Streptococcus
Lactobacillus

Output: raw goat milk.

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 milk from Serrana goats is set with animal rennet, and curdling must take place within 40–60 minutes; the curds are then strained slowly. The cheese ripens at least 60 days, or 90 days for the harder Velho, at 5–12 °C and 70–85 % relative humidity. Made in 4 steps over 2 months. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 2 months (European Commission 2012) and runs at 5–12 °C (European Commission 2012). Lactococcus, Streptococcus and Lactobacillus does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main stepat least 2 monthsSet[oj-2012]Ripen
Temperature5–12 °CSet[oj-2012]Ripen

What makes this one different

It is made only from the raw milk of one goat breed, the Serrana, set with animal rennet, where Castelo Branco is set with plant rennet. The Velho may be coated in olive oil and paprika.

Milk
Raw milk from Serrana goats only
Composition
Fat 35–55 % of dry matter; moisture 27–37 % (25–35 % for Velho)
Size
Flat cylinder, 6–12 cm or 12–19 cm across, 3–6 cm high; 0.3–0.6 kg or 0.6–0.9 kg
Ripening
Velho at least 90 days

Related ferments

Variants

  • Queijo de Cabra TransmontanoRipened at least 60 days; semi-hard; white rind.
  • Queijo de Cabra Transmontano VelhoRipened at least 90 days; hard to extra-hard; may be coated with olive oil and paprika.

Safety

Made from raw milk; the specification requires at least 60 days of ripening, or 90 days for Velho, at 5–12 °C and 70–85 % relative humidity. ANSES advises pregnant women, young children, people over 65 and people with weak immunity not to eat raw-milk cheeses other than pressed cooked ones such as Gruyère, because of Listeria, Salmonella and Shiga-toxin E. coli.

History and sources

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

The cooperative of Serrana goat milk producers at Mirandela (LEI CRAS) filed the application for the name, received by the Commission on 22 November 1995. The PDO was registered by Commission Regulation (EC) No 1263/96 of 1996. An amendment application published on 9 June 2012 added the Velho type, allowed semi-hard cheeses, set the 40–60 minute curdling time and extended the area to Alijó, Vimioso and part of Bragança; Regulation (EU) No 436/2013 of 7 May 2013 approved it.

  1. [oj-2012] European Commission 2012, Publication of an amendment application, 'Queijo de Cabra Transmontano' (PT-PDO-0117-0226-10.03.2011), single document, Official Journal of the EU C 163, 9 June 2012, p. 5spec
  2. [freitas2000] Freitas C., Malcata F.X. 2000, Microbiology and biochemistry of cheeses with Appélation d'Origine Protegée and manufactured in the Iberian Peninsula from ovine and caprine milks, Journal of Dairy Science 83(3):584–602 (abstract)paper
  3. [reg-2013] European Commission 2013, Implementing Regulation (EU) No 436/2013 approving non-minor amendments to the specification for 'Queijo de Cabra Transmontano/Queijo de Cabra Transmontano Velho' (PDO), Official Journal of the EU L 129, 14 May 2013, p. 23spec
  4. [app-1995] Portuguese application for registration of 'Queijo de Cabra Transmontano' (national application 18/94), summary sheet VI/1557/95A, European Commission register file (eAmbrosia summary sheet PT_0017_0226_SUM_EN)other
  5. [indio2024] Indio V., Gonzales-Barron U., Oliveri C., Lucchi A., Valero A., Achemchem F., Manfreda G., Savini F., Serraino A., De Cesare A. 2024, Comparative analysis of the microbiome composition of artisanal cheeses produced in the Mediterranean area, Italian Journal of Food Safety 13(4):12818paper
  6. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov