Queijo São Jorge

Queijo São Jorge is a cured cow's milk cheese produced exclusively on the Island of São Jorge in the Azores. Made from raw, whole cow's milk, it is firm in consistency, yellowy in colour, hard or semi-hard in texture, and characterised by small, irregular holes distributed throughout the paste.

About this designation

Queijo São Jorge holds PDO status, registered under file number PDO-PT-0267 with eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013102, with EU protection dating from 21 June 1996 under the registered name Queijo S. Jorge. The geographical area of production is confined to the Island of São Jorge in the Azores archipelago of Portugal. The specification requires that the cheese be made by coagulation of raw, whole cow's milk produced on the island, followed by draining and pressing. The resulting cheese is described in the specification as cured, of firm consistency, yellowy in colour, hard or semi-hard, with small and irregular holes spread over the whole mass. The specification attributes the distinctive characteristics of the cheese to the handling and feeding of cattle on natural pastures and to the particular edaphological and climatic conditions of the island. The applicant group on record is the União de Cooperativas Agrícolas de Lacticínios de S. Jorge, U.C.R.L., based in Beira, Velas, São Jorge. The inspection structure named in the specification is the Confraria do Queijo São Jorge, also based in Velas, São Jorge. Labelling under the specification carries the designation Queijo São Jorge and the indication of certified denomination of origin.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 28, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 21 June 1996 under file number PDO-PT-0267 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013102).
• The geographical area is limited exclusively to the Island of São Jorge in the Azores.
• The specification requires the use of raw, whole cow's milk produced on the island.
• The inspection structure named in the specification is the Confraria do Queijo São Jorge, based in Velas, São Jorge.

Tasting notes

Açorean cow's milk hard cheese DOP from São Jorge island. Distinctive island terroir from cold-Atlantic-pasture-fed cows, pale ivory-yellow paste, firm dense texture, balanced sharp-savory flavor evolving from young (3 months) to aged (12+ months) — Portugal's most renowned hard cheese.

HoReCa use

Queijo São Jorge is used as a centrepiece of the Açorean tábua de queijos and is served alongside Madeira and Vinho do Porto, as well as melted in regional preparations.

Packaging

• wheel-full-8-12kg
• wheel-quarter-vacuum-2-3kg
• wedge-vacuum-300g
• wedge-vacuum-150g
• cubed-pack-200g