Queijo de Serpa

Serpa cheese is made in the Baixo Alentejo from raw milk of Merino and other local sheep, set with cardoon thistle infusion like its Azeitão and Serra da Estrela relatives, moulded into discs of typically two hundred grams to over a kilo, and cured for at least thirty days - often much longer - in cool stone rooms, being washed and turned. It comes out strong: a firm rind, a semi-soft to soft interior depending on age, and a flavour that is sharp, salty and unmistakably sheep, more assertive than Azeitão. It has protected designation status covering a defined area around Serpa, Moura, Beja and neighbouring municipalities. Production is small and has been under pressure from raw-milk regulation and from cheaper industrial cheeses using the name loosely. Serpa itself is a walled Alentejo town with an aqueduct, a clock tower and a museum of the cheese.

Highlights

• The thistle setting - cardoon infusion rather than rennet, as in its relatives.
• The curing - at least thirty days in cool stone rooms, washed and turned.
• The strength - sharper and saltier than Azeitão, unmistakably sheep.
• The protected area - a defined region around Serpa, Moura and Beja.

When to go

Year-round; winter and spring milk makes the best cheese. Dairies and the town market sell it, and Serpa has a small cheese museum.

Things to know

Raw milk, which matters for pregnant travellers and anyone advised against unpasteurised cheese. Genuinely pungent - not a starter cheese. Cheaper industrial versions use the name loosely; look for the protected designation mark. Alentejo summer heat makes it hard to carry.

Nearby

Serpa's aqueduct and walls are in the town; Beja and Mértola are west and south.