Queijo do Pico
{{short description|Portuguese cheese}}
{{refimprove|date=March 2013}}
{{Infobox cheese
| name = Cheese of Pico
| image = 235px
| othernames = Queijo do Pico
| country = {{flag|Portugal}}
| region = {{flag|Azores}}
| town = Lajes do Pico, Madalena, São Roque do Pico
| source = Cows
| pasteurised = No
| texture = Soft
| fat = 45-49
| protein =
| dimensions =
| weight =
| aging = 20-30 days
| certification = PDO October 1996
}}
Cheese of Pico ({{langx|pt|Queijo do Pico}}) is a cheese originating from the island of Pico in the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores. It has been classified as a "Denomination of Protected Origin", in accordance with the laws of the European Union since October 1996.{{cite web |url=http://www.azores.gov.pt/Portal/pt/entidades/sraf-iama/textoImagem/Queijo+do+Pico.htm |title=Queijo do Pico |access-date=19 April 2012 |year=2004–2012 |language=pt |location=Ponta Delgada (Azores), Portugal |archive-date=13 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513093248/http://www.azores.gov.pt/Portal/pt/entidades/sraf-iama/textoImagem/Queijo+do+Pico.htm |url-status=dead }}[http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html?denominationId=586&locale=en Queijo do Pico] in the [http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/schemes/index_en.htm DOOR] database of the European Union. Retrieved 2014-03-14.
History
File:Fábrica de queijo na Ilha do Pico.jpg, municipality of São Roque do Pico around 1947]]
It is unknown when Queijo do Pico was first made, but there are references to its fabrication dating as far back as the end of the 18th century; the manner of its preparation has been handed down to descendants since it was first cured.
Characteristics
This cured cheese is produced from cow milk, from a slow coagulation process that takes 20 to 30 days. The cheese is produced in cylinders, in sizes ranging from {{convert|16|cm|in}} to {{convert|17|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter and heights of {{convert|2|cm|in|abbr=on}} to {{convert|3|cm|in|abbr=on}}, while weights average {{convert|650|g|lb}} to {{convert|800|g|lb|abbr=on}}. Its fat content ranges from between 45% and 49%, and it is considered a fatty cheese.
The ripening of the cheese forms a yellow exterior irregular crust and yellowish-white, soft and pasty interior. Pico cheese has a salty taste and a characteristically intense aroma.
See also
References
;Notes
{{Reflist}}
;Sources
- {{citation |url=http://www.azores.gov.pt/NR/rdonlyres/45C92927-F130-4E8F-B67B-C472E500AFAC/506819/CadernoEspecificaesDopQueijoDoPico2.pdf |title=Queijo do Pico: Denominação de Origem, Caderno de Especificações |language=pt |access-date=19 April 2012 |location=Lajes do Pico (Azores), Portugal |publisher=Governo Regional dos Açores |editor=GRA}}
{{Portuguese cheeses}}
Category:Portuguese products with protected designation of origin
Category:Economy of the Azores
Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union