Requeijão Serra da Estrela

Requeijão Serra da Estrela is a fresh whey cheese produced by heat-induced precipitation or coagulation of proteins from the whey of Queijo Serra da Estrela – PDO manufacture. Raw sheep's milk from Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds may be added. The product is white, soft, and uniformly creamy to slightly grainy, with a moisture content of more than 60 %.

About this designation

Requeijão Serra da Estrela is registered as a PDO under file number PDO-PT-9235, with EU protection dating from 16 May 2002. A standard amendment was approved on 31 May 2024 under reference PDO-PT-9235-AM01. The product is classified under CN code 0406 10 as a fresh, unripened whey cheese. The specification defines the product as obtained by precipitation or coagulation, by heat, of the proteins present in the whey resulting from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela – PDO. The following may be added to the whey: raw sheep's milk from sheep of the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds, drinking water, and, in very special and duly authorised circumstances, milk from goats of the Serrana breed and/or other breeds adapted to the region and born and reared there under extensive or semi-extensive farming conditions. The product takes the form of a white, soft, uniform, creamy to slightly grainy mass, is smooth to the cut, and has a moisture content of more than 60 %. It takes the shape of its container and weighs between 150 g and 400 g. Production of raw materials and processing and manufacture must take place in the defined geographical area, which spans named parishes across municipalities including Carregal do Sal, Celorico da Beira, Gouveia, Manteigas, Seia, and others in the Serra da Estrela zone. Packaging also takes place on the producer's premises within the area of origin. Labelling must bear the name of the product, the words 'Denominação de Origem Protegida' or the abbreviation 'DOP', and the name, company name, and address of the producer.

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

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO under file number PDO-PT-9235; EU protection dates from 16 May 2002 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013542).
• The whey used must derive specifically from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela – PDO; no other whey source is permitted.
• The specification requires a moisture content of more than 60 % and a finished weight between 150 g and 400 g.
• Only extensive and semi-extensive production systems are permitted for the sheep and goats supplying milk to the process.

Tasting notes

Portuguese fresh whey-cheese DOPs (sheep milk whey, similar to Italian ricotta). Bright white, soft delicate texture, fresh sweet-creamy flavor.

HoReCa use

**Foundation of Portuguese sobremesa** — Requeijão com mel e canela (with honey and cinnamon — the canonical Portuguese dessert), savoury preparations, fresh cheese course.

Packaging

• tub-fresh-200g
• tub-fresh-300g
• tub-fresh-500g
• basket-fascella-300g

Seasonality