Queso Tetilla

Queso Tetilla is a cow's milk cheese produced exclusively within the Autonomous Community of Galicia, Spain, made from the milk of Rubia Gallega, Friesian or Brown Alpine breeds or their crosses. Its specification defines a distinctive conical, concave-convex shape, a weight of 0,50 kg to 1,5 kg, and a thin elastic straw-yellow rind of less than 3 mm. The paste is uniform, soft and without holes or with only a few small ones.

About this designation

Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-ES-0088, with EU protection dating from 21 June 1996, Queso Tetilla is produced throughout the whole of the Autonomous Community of Galicia. The protected names are 'Queso Tetilla' in Spanish and 'Queixo Tetilla' in Galician. Milk must come from cows of the Rubia Gallega, Friesian or Brown Alpine breeds or their crosses, held on registered farms within the defined geographical area. No standardisation of the milk or processes that alter its initial composition are permitted, and the milk must contain neither colostrum nor preservatives. Production steps — milk production, preliminary operations, and cheese production and maturation — must all take place within Galicia. The specification defines physico-chemical parameters including a minimum fat-in-dry-matter content of 45 %, a minimum dry matter of 45 %, a pH of 5,0 to 5,5, and a water content expressed as a percentage of the fat-free matter of 66 % to 72 %, measured between 8 and 15 days after production. Each cheese bears a secondary label carrying a unique alphanumeric serial number and the PDO logo. Commercial labels must display the words 'Denominación de Origen Protegida' and either 'Queso Tetilla' or 'Queixo Tetilla', together with the European PDO logo. Labels are affixed at the producer's premises in a manner that prevents re-use. The managing body is the Regulatory Council for the PDO, known as the CR de la DOP Queso tetilla.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-ES-0088, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012964.
• Milk is restricted to the Rubia Gallega, Friesian and Brown Alpine breeds or their crosses; no other breeds are permitted.
• The specification permits no standardisation of the milk and prohibits mixing with milk from unregistered holdings or non-specified breeds.
• Cheeses weighing more than 0,7 kg may be sold in halves in self-service outlets, but must carry two secondary labels and two sets of authenticity elements, one on each half.

Tasting notes

Galician cow's milk soft cheese DOP, distinctive cone/breast-shape (the name means "small breast"). Pale ivory paste, soft creamy melting texture (similar to mozzarella consistency but more mature), mild sweet-buttery flavor with characteristic Galician-milk profile.

HoReCa use

Galician tabla de quesos; melted in empanadas, on tarta de queso galega; pairs with Albariño and Ribeiro whites.

Packaging

• whole-cone-500g-1kg
• half-cone-vacuum-300g
• wedge-vacuum-200g