This communication is published in accordance with Article 6b(5) of Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) No 664/2014 (1).

COMMUNICATING THE APPROVAL OF A STANDARD AMENDMENT TO THE PRODUCT SPECIFICATION OF A PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN OR PROTECTED GEOGRAPHICAL INDICATION ORIGINATING IN A MEMBER STATE

(Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012)

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’

EU No: PDO-PT-9235-AM01 - 31.5.2024

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name of product

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’

2.   Member State to which the geographical area belongs

Portugal

3.   Member State authority communicating the standard amendment

Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development – Quality and Genetic Resources Division

4.   Description of the approved amendment(s)

Statement explaining why the amendment or amendments fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012:

Explanation of why the amendment or amendments fall under the definition of a standard amendment as provided for in Article 53(2) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012:

These amendments are not considered Union amendments within the meaning of Article 53 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2021/2117, since:

(a)	they do not amend the name of the protected designation of origin or protected geographical indication or the use of that name;

(b)	they do not risk voiding the links demonstrating that the quality or characteristics of the product are essentially due to a particular geographical environment with its inherent natural and human factors, for protected geographical indications;

(c)	they do not concern a traditional speciality guaranteed;

(d)	they do not entail further restrictions on the marketing of the product.

Requeijão Serra da Estrela PDO

The requested amendments are examined in the order in which the elements are presented in the product specification submitted in relation to the application (Article 7 of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012, together with submission of the single document).

1.   Amendment

(a)   Cover page

Current version:

REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN – PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

Header: Product specification – Requeijão Serra da Estrela – DO

Proposed amendment:

REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN – PRODUCT SPECIFICATION

Header: Product specification – Requeijão Serra da Estrela – PDO

Reasons:

Requeijão Serra da Estrela has been a PDO since 2005, and it should be made clear that this is a document revised in 2023. In the header, the abbreviation ‘DO’ has been changed to ‘PDO’, as Requeijão Serra da Estrela has been a PDO since 2005.

2.   Amendment

(b)   Description – class

Current version:

No text

Proposed amendment:

The product falls under Class 1.3. Cheeses, as listed in Annex XI to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2014 of 13 June 2014, as amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/892 of 1 April 2022.

Reasons:

To state explicitly that the product is included in Class 1.3. Cheeses, as listed in Annex XI to Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 668/2014 of 13 June 2014, as amended by Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2022/892 of 1 April 2022.

3.   Amendment

(c)   Description

Current version:

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’ is the product obtained by precipitation or coagulation, by heat, of the proteins present in the whey resulting from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela, and it takes the form of a white, creamy to slightly grainy mass. The geographical area of production naturally coincides with the geographical area of production of the cheese in question (Annex I). Sheep’s milk may be added to the whey.

Proposed amendment:

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’ is the product obtained by precipitation or coagulation, by heat, of the proteins present in the whey resulting from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela, and it takes the form of a white, creamy to slightly grainy mass. The geographical area of production naturally coincides with the geographical area of production of the cheese in question (Annex I). Sheep’s and/or goat’s milk may be added to the whey.

Reasons:

To state explicitly in the product definition that it is possible to add goat’s milk. The addition of goat’s milk had already been authorised previously, but had not been explicitly included in the product definition.

4.   Amendment

(d)   Description, B.2 – Chemical characteristics: preliminary analytical indicators

Current version:

Requeijão Serra da Estrela production stretches back as far into the distant past as Queijo Serra da Estrela production, but it is only relatively recently that new analytical tests were carried out on the product. Given the above, the indicators currently available and referred to below can only be considered preliminary reference indicators of the analytical characteristics:

—	Moisture content: 55–60 %

—	Proteins: 19–20 %

—	Fat: 18–20 %

—	Ash: 1–1,5 %

Proposed amendment:

Requeijão Serra da Estrela production stretches back as far into the distant past as Queijo Serra da Estrela production, but it is only relatively recently that new analytical tests were carried out on the product. Given the above, the indicators currently available and referred to below can only be considered preliminary reference indicators of the analytical characteristics. Furthermore, the chemical characteristics of the milk vary greatly throughout the year, depending on climatic conditions, which alter the composition of the pastures, and because producers do not have the technology or equipment that would allow them to adjust the butterfat and/or protein content of the sheep’s whey or the sheep’s and/or goat’s milk used.

—	Moisture content: > 60 %

Reasons:

Since the chemical characteristics of the milk vary greatly throughout the year, depending on the climatic conditions, which alter the composition of the pastures, and because producers do not have the technology or equipment that would allow them to adjust the butterfat and/or protein content of the sheep’s whey or the sheep’s and/or goat’s milk used, it is not feasible to set chemical parameters for butterfat, protein or ash content, especially simultaneously. Moreover, the few studies that have been carried out on the requeijão (curd cheese) point to significant variations in protein, butterfat and ash content, depending on the practices followed by each producer and the availability of milk/whey throughout the year. Consequently, the analytical indicator that is characteristic of the product as a fresh product is the moisture content, which must be higher than 60 in the final product. The proposed amendment is therefore being made in order to remove the aforementioned parameters from the product specification; otherwise, a significant part of the production will be systematically disqualified.

5.   Amendment

(e)   Description, B.3 – Chemical characteristics: preliminary analytical indicators

Current version:

The raw materials used to make Requeijão Serra da Estrela are as follows:

—	whey obtained from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela;

—	raw sheep’s milk obtained from sheep of the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds that were born and reared in the geographical area referred to in this product specification;

—	drinking water.

Proposed amendment:

The raw materials used to make Requeijão Serra da Estrela are as follows:

—	whey obtained from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela;

—	raw sheep’s milk obtained from sheep of the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds that were born and reared in the geographical area referred to in this product specification;

—	drinking water;

—	optionally, raw goat’s milk obtained under the conditions set out in point E.2 may also be used.

Reasons:

Its inclusion in the list of usable raw materials makes the optional use of goat’s milk clearer and more explicit as a possibility. Its use was already authorised under point E.2 of the current version of the product specification.

6.   Amendment

(f)   Description – Method of obtaining the product, using authentic and unchanging local methods – Raw material

Current version:

(a)

Origin – whey intended for making Requeijão Serra da Estrela must be obtained from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela (see Annex II), produced on livestock farms that comply with the health legislation in force and are located in the geographical area of production referred to in Section C, under the production conditions set out in Section E.2.

Proposed amendment:

(a)	Origin – whey intended for making Requeijão Serra da Estrela must be obtained from the manufacture of Queijo Serra da Estrela, produced on livestock farms located in the geographical area of production referred to in Section C and under the production conditions set out in Section E.2.

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to remove the reference to Annex II, as keeping the reference would require this product specification to be amended following amendments to the product specification for Queijo Serra da Estrela. It is technically and legally more correct to refer producers of Requeijão Serra da Estrela to the current version of the product specification for Queijo Serra da Estrela and requires less administrative work with fewer resulting changes. The amendment is also being made to delete the words ‘that comply with the health legislation in force’, as that is redundant and therefore unnecessary.

7.   Amendment

(g)   Description – Method of obtaining the product, using authentic and unchanging local methods –

E.2

Current version:

Although it is less common, some producers also add a small proportion of milk from goats of the Serrana and Jarmelista varieties of the Serrana breed. This must be expressly authorised by the producer group and be mentioned on the product label.

Proposed amendment:

Although it is less common, some producers also add a small proportion of milk from goats of the Serrana breed and/or goats of other breeds, provided that they are adapted to the region and were born and reared there under extensive or semi-extensive farming conditions. This must be expressly authorised by the producer group and be mentioned on the product label.

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to remove the requirement to use goat’s milk from only the Serrana and Jarmelista varieties of the Serrana breed, giving producers the option of using goat’s milk from goats of other breeds, provided that they are adapted to the region and were born and reared there under extensive or semi-extensive farming conditions. In fact, it is difficult, if not impossible, to find those varieties of the Serrana breed in the Serra da Estrela. Furthermore, the report on the feasibility study for the application to amend the product specification for Requeijão Serra da Estrela, drawn up by the National Institute for Agricultural and Veterinary Research (Instituto Nacional de Investigação Agrária e Veterinária, I. P. – INIAV) and coordinated by Dr Nuno Bartolomeu Alvarenga, reads as follows: – ‘... in the light of the results obtained, it can be seen that, in terms of sensory testing, there is no difference between Requeijão Serra da Estrela produced with milk from goats of the Serrana breed and that produced with milk from common goats’ (p. 15). – ‘Physico-chemical characterisation of the raw material ... shows that the breed from which the goat’s milk is obtained, whether it be the Serrana breed or a common breed, does not affect the raw material used in the production of Requeijão Serra da Estrela’ (p. 15). – ‘There is no significant difference in the parameters relating to texture (hardness, work and adhesiveness) within the group of samples with the same proportion of goat’s milk added, which indicates that the origin of the goat’s milk does not in any way affect the texture of Requeijão Serra da Estrela’ (p. 16). – ‘The results obtained for the parameter “colour” (L*, a* and b*) do not show any significant differences, either within the set of samples with an equal proportion of goat’s milk or in the total set of samples, which may indicate that the colour of Requeijão Serra da Estrela is unaffected not only by the origin of the milk but also by the proportion of milk used in its production’ (p. 16). – ‘Likewise, there are no differences in the remaining parameters, i.e. pH, fat, fat in dry matter, protein and ash ...’ (p. 16). – ‘Analysis of the parameters studied therefore shows no significant difference, with a confidence interval of 95 %, between the use of milk from Serrana goats and the use of milk from goats of other breeds’ (p. 17). –‘... analysis of the main components shows that the breed from which the goat’s milk is obtained is not a differentiating factor in the final product’ (p. 19). The results of sensory analysis showed that tasters found no difference between Requeijão Serra da Estrela made with milk from common goats and that made with milk from Serrana goats. Physico-chemical analyses carried out on the raw material made it clear that samples with the same proportion of goat’s milk added do not differ significantly. The physico-chemical analyses carried out on samples of Requeijão Serra da Estrela showed that, in terms of the parameters of colour, texture, pH, and moisture, protein, fat and ash content, there are no significant differences between samples with the same quantity of goat’s milk added, irrespective of the breed of goat producing the milk. Statistical processing, analysis of the main components and hierarchical classification revealed that samples from the same producer show similarities, regardless of the amount of goat’s milk added or its origin. It is clear that the differences between the samples are directly linked to production techniques and the know-how of each of the producers and not to the origin of the goat’s milk added.

As such, and on the basis of the whole analysis and research process undertaken, as explained above, it is clear that the sensory and nutritional characteristics of Requeijão Serra da Estrela are in no way altered by using milk from Serrana goats or from goats of other breeds, so there is no obvious restriction on the use of goat’s milk from different breeds (p. 20).

8.   Amendment

(h)   Description – Method of obtaining the product, using authentic and unchanging local methods – Packaging

Current version:

The material used to package the curd cheese and with which it is in direct contact must be innocuous and must not react with the contents. Traditionally, it was presented on a cabbage leaf and had to be consumed before the leaf wilted. Nowadays, to comply with good hygiene practices, the curd cheese reaches the consumer wrapped in sheets of parchment paper ink-stamped with the mandatory information for foodstuffs. It takes the shape of the container in which it is placed and weighs between 150 g and 400 g.

Proposed amendment:

The material used to package the curd cheese and with which it is in direct contact must be innocuous and must not react with the contents. Traditionally, it was presented on a cabbage leaf and had to be consumed before the leaf wilted. Nowadays, to comply with good hygiene practices, the curd cheese reaches the consumer wrapped in sheets of parchment paper ink-stamped with the mandatory information for foodstuffs, or packaged in other appropriate materials and duly labelled. It takes the shape of the container in which it is placed and weighs between 150 g and 400 g.

Reasons:

A few years ago, Requeijão Serra da Estrela was consumed only in the region and was sold directly to the consumer or in small grocery stores, bakeries and pastry shops, wrapped in a sheet of parchment paper. As the product became more widely known and appreciated, it began to be marketed in large towns and large shops, making it necessary to improve the commercial presentation of the product, preserve flavour and hygiene, and prevent the whey from leaking out. The proposed amendment is thus being made in order to also allow the use of packaging with a lid or covering that is compatible with the nature of the product and its specific shape (which is derived from the basket in which it is placed to drain after manufacture). Such packaging is generally transparent and contains or consists of materials that are as recyclable as possible, on the basis of the current state of knowledge, and is duly labelled. The weight varies between 150 g and 400 g.

9.   Amendment

(h)   Labelling

Current version:

All the curd cheeses must be presented for sale with the appropriate labelling. The following information is to be shown on the labelling:

(a)	the sales name, indicated by the words ‘REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – DO’ [REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – PDO] in clearly visible characters,

(b)	the name, company name and address of the producer;

(c)	the list of ingredients;

(d)	the date of minimum durability, indicated by the words ‘Use by’, specifying the day and month and, optionally, the year;

(e)	the words ‘Store in a cool place’;

(f)	the quantity of curd cheese, expressed in multiples or submultiples of a kilogram;

(g)	the batch;

(h)	the health mark.

Proposed amendment:

All the curd cheeses must be presented for sale with the appropriate labelling. The following information is to be shown on the labelling: (a) the sales name, indicated by the words ‘REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – DOP’ [REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – PDO] in clearly visible characters, (b) the name, company name and address of the producer.

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to correct the abbreviation ‘DO’ to ‘PDO’, as Requeijão Serra da Estrela has been a PDO since 2005. The long list of other information to be included on the labelling is being deleted (the list of ingredients; the date of minimum durability, indicated by the words ‘Use by’, specifying the day and month and, optionally, the year; the words ‘Store in a cool place’; the quantity of curd cheese, expressed in multiples or submultiples of a kilogram; the batch; and the health mark), as the inclusion of such information on the labelling follows from the General Law on the provision of food information to consumers.

10.   Amendment

(i)   ‘Verification of compliance | Inspection bodies’ – G. References to the inspection body (p. 27 of the product specification)

Current version:

Inspection and certification of REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN is carried out by the private inspection and certification body (Organismo Privado de Controlo e Certificação – OPC) designated by the producer group. It carries out its activities in accordance with the rules governing the inspection and certification of REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN. The inspection system that has been put in place is implemented throughout the production chain, and the private inspection and certification body duly certifies each curd cheese by affixing the appropriate certification mark. The certification mark must include the following: the name of the private inspection and certification body, the words ‘REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – DENOMINAÇÃO DE ORIGEM’ [REQUEIJÃO SERRA DA ESTRELA – DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN], the serial No.

Proposed amendment:

Compliance with the product specification is verified by the competent authority (the Directorate-General for Agriculture and Rural Development), which may delegate that power to an inspection body (IB) designated by the producer group and accredited for that purpose in accordance with the law (standard EN 17065).

Reasons:

The proposed amendment comes under identification of the inspection authorities and delegated bodies, which is an essential element of the product specification provided for in Article 7(1)(g) of Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. The proposed amendment is being made in order to bring the product specification into line with Regulation (EU) 2017/625 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 15 March 2017 on official controls and other official activities performed to ensure the application of food and feed law, rules on animal health and welfare, plant health and plant protection products.

11.   Amendment

(j)   Guarantee of the product’s geographical origin

Current version:

These characteristics, which are easily perceived and recognised by people living in the geographical area of production and by habitual consumers, must be pointed out on the labelling and in the certification mark so that other consumers will be able to recognise them.

Proposed amendment:

These characteristics, which are easily perceived and recognised by people living in the geographical area of production and by habitual consumers, must be pointed out on the labelling so that other consumers will be able to recognise them.

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to delete the words ‘certification mark’, as national legislation has abolished its use.

12.   Amendment

(l)   Guarantee of the product’s geographical origin

Current version:

3.	the existence of an inspection and certification system that essentially guarantees that only curd cheese that has been processed in plants authorised for the purpose by the producer group qualifies for the use of the designation of origin ‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’.

Proposed amendment:

3.	the existence of a compliance verification system that essentially guarantees that only curd cheese that has been processed in plants authorised for the purpose qualifies for the use of the designation of origin ‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’.

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to replace the words ‘inspection and certification’ with the words ‘compliance verification’, which is more in line with the terminology used in Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012.

13.   Amendment

(m)   Guarantee of the product’s geographical origin

Current version:

3.	... use only milk obtained under the conditions described in Section E from sheep born and reared in the geographical area referred to in Section C;

Proposed amendment:

3.	... use only milk obtained under the conditions described in Section E from sheep and goats born and reared in the geographical area referred to in Section C;

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to make it clear that goat’s milk can also be used, provided that the same rules are complied with as for the birth, rearing and management of the sheep.

14.   Amendment

(n)   Guarantee of the product’s geographical origin

Current version:

3.	... submit to the inspection and certification system provided for in the rules governing the inspection and certification of Requeijão Serra da Estrela;

Proposed amendment:

3.	... submit to the compliance verification system provided for in the compliance verification plan for Requeijão Serra da Estrela;

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to replace the words ‘inspection and certification’ with the words ‘compliance verification’, which is more in line with the terminology used in Regulation (EU) No 1151/2012. For the same reason, ‘rules governing the inspection and certification of’ is being replaced by ‘compliance verification plan for’.

15.   Amendment

(o)   Guarantee of the product’s geographical origin

Current version:

The authorisation provided for above is subject to prior verification, by the organisation recognised as the OPC, at the producer group’s request, of the production and manufacturing conditions, in particular as regards:

Proposed amendment:

The authorisation provided for above is subject to prior verification, by the organisation recognised as the DB, at the producer group’s request, of the production and manufacturing conditions, in particular as regards:

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made to replace the abbreviation ‘OPC’ with the abbreviation ‘DB’ (delegated body), which is more in line with the terminology used in the Official Control Regulation.

16.   Amendment

(p)   Elements establishing the link between the product and the geographical environment – Historical factors

Current version:

Paragraph 1: ... and Requeijão Serra da Estrela – DO.

Proposed amendment:

... and Requeijão Serra da Estrela – PDO.

Reasons:

The proposed amendment is being made in order to correct the abbreviation ‘DO’ to ‘PDO’, as Requeijão Serra da Estrela has been a PDO since 2005.

17.   Amendment

(q)   Elements establishing the link between the product and the geographical environment – Historical factors

Current version:

Paragraphs 8, 10 and 11: [...] Annex III

Proposed amendment:

Annex II

Reasons: In view of the proposed deletion of Annex II, Annex III should be renumbered as Annex II.

This amendment affects the single document.

SINGLE DOCUMENT

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’

EU No: PDO-PT-9235-AM01 - 31.5.2024

PDO (X) PGI ( )

1.   Name(s) [of PDO or PGI]

‘Requeijão Serra da Estrela’

2.   Member State or Third Country

Portugal

3.   Description of the agricultural product or foodstuff

3.1.   Combined nomenclature code

—	04 – DAIRY PRODUCE; BIRDS’ EGGS; NATURAL HONEY; EDIBLE PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDED

—	0406 – Cheese and curd

—	04 – DAIRY PRODUCE; BIRDS’ EGGS; NATURAL HONEY; EDIBLE PRODUCTS OF ANIMAL ORIGIN, NOT ELSEWHERE SPECIFIED OR INCLUDED

—	0406 – Cheese and curd

—	0406 10 – Fresh (unripened or uncured) cheese, including whey cheese, and curd

3.2.   Description of the product to which the name in (1) applies

Requeijão Serra da Estrela is the product 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 obtained from sheep of the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds, drinking water and, occasionally, in very special and duly authorised circumstances, milk from goats of the Serrana breed and/or other breeds, provided that they are adapted to the region and were born and reared there under extensive or semi-extensive farming conditions. Requeijão Serra da Estrela takes the form of a white, soft, uniform, creamy to slightly grainy mass. It takes the shape of the container in which it is placed (roughly an irregular low cylinder). It has a consistent, uniformly creamy texture, is smooth to the cut and is white in colour. The taste and aroma are pleasant and it melts in the mouth. In chemical terms, the product is characterised by a moisture content of more than 60 %.

3.3.   Feed (for products of animal origin only)

Only extensive and semi-extensive production systems are permitted, and outdoor rearing is the most common method. Both the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira sheep and the goats feed mostly on natural or sown pastureland and on the leaves and pods of trees and shrubs that grow in the defined geographical area. The animals graze in the region, which has a distinctive, wild vegetation, ranging from pine forests and scrubland to irrigated meadows. Transhumance, where the animals are moved to other holdings (or pastures) located in the same geographical area, depending on the time of the year and the available feed, is quite a common practice. Other pasture and fodder species are usually grown in the region and are used to supplement the feed of local sheep and goats at times when feed is most scarce. However, only in times of adverse soil and climate conditions (snow or drought, for instance) may straight or compound feedstuffs be used to bolster the animals’ diet, mainly at the start and end of the gestation period or at the height of lactation.

3.4.   Specific steps in production that must take place in the identified geographical area

Production of the raw materials and processing and manufacture of the curd cheese must take place in the defined geographical area.

3.5.   Specific rules concerning slicing, grating, packaging, etc. of the product the registered name refers to

As the curd cheese is a highly perishable and microbiologically sensitive product, it is packaged in the area of origin, on the producer’s premises, and is presented for sale, duly labelled, in appropriate packaging material (sheets of parchment paper or other appropriate material) that is innocuous and does not react with the contents. It takes the shape of the container in which it is placed and weighs between 150 g and 400 g.

3.6.   Specific rules concerning labelling of the product the registered name refers to

In addition to the name of the product and the words ‘Denominação de Origem Protegida’ [Protected Designation of Origin] or the abbreviation ‘DOP’ [PDO], the labelling must bear the name, company name and address of the producer.

4.   Concise definition of the geographical area

All the parishes in the municipalities of Carregal do Sal, Celorico da Beira, Fornos de Algodres, Gouveia, Mangualde, Manteigas, Nelas, Oliveira do Hospital, Penalva do Castelo and Seia; the parishes of Carapito, Cortiçada, Dornelas, Eirado, Forninhos, Pena Verde and Valverde in the municipality of Aguiar da Beira; the parishes of Anceriz, Barril do Alva, Cerdeira, Coja, Pomares and Vila Cova do Alva in the municipality of Arganil; the parishes of Aldeia de Carvalho, Cortes do Meio, Erada, Paul, Sarzedo, Unhais da Serra and Verdelhos in the municipality of Covilhã; the parishes of Aldeia Viçosa, Corujeira, Cavadoude, Faia, Famalicão, Fernão Joanes, Maçainhas de Baixo, Meios, Mizarela, Pêro Soares, Porto da Carne, São Vicente, Sé, Seixo Amarelo, Vale Amoreira, Trinta, Vale de Estrelas, Valhelhas, Videmonte, Vila Cortez do Mondego and Vila Soeiro in the municipality of Guarda; the parishes of Midões, Póvoa de Midões and Vila Nova de Oliveirinha in the municipality of Tábua; the parishes of Canas de Santa Maria, Ferreirós do Dão, Lageosa Tonda, Lobão da Beira, Molelos, Mosteiro de Fráguas, Nadufe, Parada de Gonta, Sabugosa, São Miguel de Outeiro and Tondela in the municipality of Tondela; the parishes of Aldeia Nova, Carnicães, Feital, Fiães, Freches, Santa Maria, São Pedro, Tamanhos, Torres, Vila Franca das Naves and Vilares in the municipality of Trancoso; and the parishes of Fragosela, Povolide, São João de Lourosa and Loureiro de Silgueiros in the municipality of Viseu.

5.   Link with the geographical area

Since time immemorial, agriculture and stock-raising have contributed much of the wealth of the municipalities that make up the Serra da Estrela region. Sheep-rearing, using dual-purpose animals (suitable for meat and milk), is particularly important and constitutes an important addition to agricultural holdings and the local economy. In fact, sheep-rearing yields products which, although coming from the same source, are different from each other, but complementary in the local economy: Borrego Serra da Estrela – PDO, Queijo Serra da Estrela – PDO and Requeijão Serra da Estrela – PDO. In Portugal, there is proof of the manufacture and consumption of cheese and curd cheese in the region of Montes Hermínios (present-day Serra da Estrela) since the time when the Romans occupied the Iberian Peninsula. In a mountain region with few natural resources, the need to make full use of the milk has always been a basic necessity for producers.

The entire region is located on the Beira plateau, with agroclimatic conditions characterised by long, cold, rainy winters with occasional snow, and hot, dry summers.

Granite is found throughout the region and is almost the only rock present in some municipalities. It often emerges in large outcrops and expanses only to disappear almost suddenly, before rising to the surface again a little further on. Thousands of years of wind, mechanical and chemical erosion have resulted in very varied shapes, sometimes undefined, and sometimes in the form of a needle or even human features. Besides the tree layer, this region also has a layer of shrubs and herbaceous plants, which make up the diet of the grazing animals. That layer consists predominantly of brushwood (Erica, Ulex (gorse), Cytisus and Genista (brooms)). The natural pasture is made up of wild perennial grasses, and the cultivated pasture is mainly composed of white clover and subterranean clover. Acidophilic species of flora predominate, mainly consisting of grasses and legumes that are tolerant of cold, acidity and low soil fertility. The most frequently used forage crops are basically oats, rye, maize, fodder sorghum and meadow grass or annual ryegrass.

The region is home to two breeds exclusively used for producing this curd cheese: the Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds. For centuries, the animals have taken full advantage of the sparse pastures in this region.

5.1.   Specificity of the product

The history of Requeijão Serra da Estrela is abundantly documented, and the way it is traditionally presented in small straw baskets and wrapped in cabbage or mulberry leaves is well known. The art of producing Requeijão Serra da Estrela is regarded as part of the cultural heritage of the geographical area in which it is produced, since the product’s characteristics are easily perceived and recognised by those living in the area and by habitual consumers.

The development of the art and know-how of producing sheep’s cheese using locally harvested thistles (Cynara cardunculus) as the coagulant has resulted in a whey with unique characteristics, which has a considerable influence on the quality of Requeijão Serra da Estrela, namely on its uniformly creamy to slightly grainy mass, which is smooth to the cut and white in colour, its pleasant aroma and its melt-in-the-mouth quality.

Requeijão Serra da Estrela stands out not only for the economic value derived from making use of whey from the manufacture of cheese but also for its substantial food value. Historically, whey has been used for a wide variety of purposes: as food, in its natural state or processed into curd cheese and butter, as a medicine, in special diets for certain diseases, and as animal feed. (460 years before Christ, Hippocrates was already advising its consumption in large quantities over long periods.) In his 1906 work Manteigas e Queijos [Butters and Cheeses], Motta Prego noted the following: ‘[...] Beira exported mainly cheese and wool. It had oil and wine for consumption. Poor people lived off their flocks, with whey and maize-bread soups providing the basic food, particularly for children [...].’ While, in the past, whey derived from the production of Queijo Serra da Estrela was mostly used, either on its own or with soups of maize, rye or mixed-cereal bread, to stave off the hunger of tribes of children from the region’s poorest families, today, as a product with a high protein but low fat content, it is much appreciated as the final course of a meal or a comforting late-afternoon snack. It may be eaten alone, dissolved in milk or coffee, or mixed with honey or pumpkin jam, sometimes with pieces of walnut, hazelnut or almond. Requeijão Serra da Estrela is well known among consumers, for whom, irrespective of how it is consumed, it is unequivocally associated with its region of origin.

5.2.   Causal link between the geographical area and the quality or characteristics of the product

Agricultural and forestry activities have essentially been able to develop in the Serra da Estrela region because of the soil and climate conditions, one of the main activities being the rearing of sheep of the local Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira breeds. The milk they produce is used to make Serra da Estrela’s renowned cheese and curd cheese, which have distinctive characteristics in terms of colour, aroma, flavour and texture.

The region and the cheeses produced there were already mentioned in texts by Roman authors. The cheeses were also described as the food of choice on board ships during the Age of Discovery and were mentioned in sixteenth-century plays.

The specific characteristics of this product are derived from natural factors – the animal breeds (Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira sheep and, where applicable, Serrana goats and/or other breeds of goat, provided that they are adapted to the region and were born and reared there under extensive or semi-extensive farming conditions), specific pastures and climatic conditions not found elsewhere in Portugal – which result in sheep’s and goat’s milk with distinctive characteristics.

The development of the art and know-how of producing sheep’s cheese using locally harvested thistles (Cynara cardunculus) as the coagulant has resulted in a whey with unique characteristics, which has a considerable influence on the quality of Requeijão Serra da Estrela.

Reference to publication of the product specification

https://tradicional.dgadr.gov.pt/images/prod_imagens/queijos/docs/CE_Requeijao_Serra_Estrela_alterado_27032024.pdf

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(1)   OJ L 179, 19.6.2014, p. 17.