Castelo Branco

Named after a town that goes by the same name, Castelo Branco is a Portuguese cheese from the central region of Portugal, produced in the municipalities of Castelo Branco, Fundão and Idanha-a-Nova. Castelo Branco is made from sheep or goat milk.

Since 1996 the cheese has had a Protected designation of origin (PDO). It is one of the three Beira Baixa cheeses, the other two are: Beira Baixa yellow cheese (Queijos Amarelo Beira Baixa DOP) and Beira Baixa spicy cheese (Queijos Picante da Beira Baixa DOP)

Castelo Branco is a handmade, cured cheese. Goat's milk cheese takes around 40 days to mature while ewe's milk cheese takes 50 days to mature completely. It has a yellowish rind with a pronounced aroma and a strong, tangy and spicy flavour. It contains around 45% fat.