cheese, azeitao

Azeitão is produced in the Setúbal peninsula south of Lisbon, where Merino sheep's milk is coagulated using the dried stigmas of wild cardoon thistle (Cynara cardunculus) — the same thistle used in Serra da Estrela and Torta del Casar. This plant rennet imparts a unique, slightly herbal-bitter flavor and produces a very soft, almost custardy texture as it gently breaks down the milk proteins. The cheese is wrapped in cloth and pressed slightly to maintain its round shape, then aged briefly — just enough to develop a thin rind while the interior remains nearly pourable at room temperature. Serving tradition is to cut the top off like a lid and scoop the interior with a spoon or crusty bread. The flavor is assertive: salty, tangy, and pungent in the characteristic way of raw sheep's milk cheeses, with an additional herbal complexity from the cardoon.