Typical
Portuguese Products Typical
Portuguese Products
European agriculture will be facing, in a very near future, serious challenges. The European Community guidelines regarding this subject were announced in the document Agenda 2000. To summarize, we can say that the document's main goals are:
One of the most important objectives of the portuguese agricultural policy has been to support traditional quality products, granting them the Certificate of Protected Origin (DOP).
 | What are DOP products? |
| What does a DOP certificate stand for? |
Products with DOP (Certificate of Protected Origin) come from specific geographical locations. Their qualities are conditioned by human and geographical characteristics of the region where production takes place according to its tradidional processes and values.
For all of this, a food product with DOP is not just a consumable item. It reflects the cultural characteristics and the way of life of a certain region.
Grating the Certificate of Protected Origin to several portuguese food products is a way of promoting agriculture as a traditional activity and of preserving Portugal's cultural features.
| Honey from Lousã Mountains (DOP) - (Beira Alta) |
| The Évora Cheese (DOP) - (Alentejo) |
| The Nisa Cheese (DOP) - (Alentejo) |
Traditional Pastry from Algarve
| Origin: mountains and valeys of the Lousã region, embracing the towns of Lousã, Miranda do Corvo, Penela, Pampilhosa da Serra, Arganil, Góis, Vila Nova de Poiares, Castanheira de Pera, Figueiró dos Vinhos and Pedrógão Grande. |
| Flora: constituted mainly by heathers. |
| Aroma, Flavour and Colour: accentuated odour, particularly strong flavour. Colour varies from ambar to dark brown, almost black. |
| Chemical Composition: |
| Components: | Qt. |
| Water | < 20% |
| Sacarose | < 5% |
| Fructose / Glucose | > 65% |
| Total Ashes | < 0,6% |
| Substances insoluble in water | < 0,1% |
| Total max. acidity | < 40 mg/Kg |
| Diastaltic level | > 10 |
| Hidroximetrilfurfural (HMF) | < 35 mg/Kg |
| Packages: 0,5 Kg and 1 Kg glass jars. |
| Preservation: Bee honey should be preserved in a fresh and dried environment, away from the light. Being exposed to high temperatures speeds its ageing process, diminishing its nutritional value. |
| Organism of Quality Control and Certification: |
| Produced by: LOUSAMEL - Cooperativa Agrícola de Apicultores da Lousã e Concelhos Limítrofes, CRL. |
| Origin: Produced in the Évora district, in Alentejo. |
| Characteristics: obtained from sheep's milk which is curdled by means of a thistle infusion; the salting is done directly in the milk. It has a yellowish colour and a soft, closed and very well connected paste. The texture is half-hard or hard, depending on how long the maturation process takes (from 1 to 3 months). |
| Flavour: slightly piquant and tougy. |
| Paste, dimensions and weight: |
| Paste | Dimensions | Weight |
| small hard paste cheeses | 6-8cm diam. / 2-4cm high | 60-80 gr. |
| hard paste "Merendeira" | 12-14cm diam. / 2-4cm high | 120-200 gr. |
| half-hard paste "Merendeira" | 13-15cm diam. / 1,5-3cm high | 200-300 gr. |
| Organism of Quality Control and Certification: |
| Produced by: Cooperativa Ovina de Évora, CRL |
| Origin: interior north of Alentejo, embracing the towns of Nisa, Crato, Castelo de Vide, Marvão, Portalegre, Monforte, Arronches and Alter do Chão. |
| Characteristics: cured cheese obtained from sheep's milk, with half-hard paste, yellowish colour, closed, with small eyes. The milk is curdled after coagulation provoked by a thistle infusion. The curdled-milk then slowly flows off. Unlike other cheeses, the salting is done directly on the paste already tighten in the cheese presses during the first fermentation. In the process of maturation the cheese is kept in a fresh and moist environment for a month and a half. |
| Aroma and Flavour: accentuated smell and a slightly acidulous taste. |
| Shape and Weight: |
| Shape | Weight |
| "Merendeira" shape | 200-400 gr. |
| normal shape | 800-1300 gr. |
| Organism of Quality Control and Certification: Associação de Agricultores do Distrito de Portalegre |
| Produced by: Monforqueijo - Produtores de Queijo de Ovelha e Cabra de Monforte, CRL |
Delight yourself with the irresistable traditional confectionery from the Algarve region, in the south of Portugal.
It's a sweet temptation, isn't it? If you wish to know more, click on the picture.
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