Brazil Cheese: Types, Milks and Where They Come From
Brazil cheese includes fresh whey cheese, soft creamy spreads, semi-soft and semi-hard cheeses, and raw-milk artisan cheeses, and many of them are made from cow's milk. Examples are Minas cheese, Canastra cheese, Coalho and Catupiry.
Minas cheese, Canastra cheese, Catupiry and Queijo do Serro all come from the state of Minas Gerais. Coalho comes from Northeastern Brazil, and Colony cheese comes from Rio Grande do Sul in the south.
Minas cheese is a semi-soft cheese sold fresh, as frescal, or aged, as curado. UNESCO listed Minas cheese as intangible cultural heritage in December 2024.
Semi-hard Brazilian cheeses: Coalho, Colonial and Colony
Coalho, Colonial cheese and Colony cheese are semi-hard Brazilian cheeses. Coalho is firm and lightweight and squeaks when you bite it. Most people eat it grilled on a stick at the beach.
Colonial cheese is mild and pale yellow, with a slightly nutty, slightly sweet taste. It is often compared to Gouda or Edam because of its smooth, creamy texture.
Colony cheese, also called queijo colonial, is an artisan cheese from Rio Grande do Sul. It has a natural rind and a pungent, spicy flavor.
Brazilian cow's milk cheeses
Minas cheese, Canastra cheese, Queijo do Serro, Coalho and Catupiry are all Brazilian cow's milk cheeses. Requeijão is a whey cheese close to ricotta. It is made in Portugal and Brazil from cow's, goat's or sheep's milk.
People use requeijão in cheese spreads and in pastries such as queijada.
Brazil cheese from Minas Gerais
Canastra cheese is made from raw cow's milk in the Serra da Canastra highlands. It has a full-bodied, mildly spicy flavor. It goes through three curing stages, from four days for fresh cheese to forty days for fully cured cheese.
Queijo do Serro comes from the Serro region and is made from unpasteurized cow's milk. It is usually yellow and has an acidic flavor. Its taste comes from the climate and grasses of the Serro region.
Catupiry is a brand of requeijão, a soft, creamy dairy spread created in Minas Gerais in 1911. It is mild and easy to spread. People use it in pizzas, coxinhas and pão de queijo across Brazil.
Brazilian Cheeses
Brazilian Cheese Questions
What is Canastra cheese?
Canastra cheese is a Brazilian cheese made from raw cow's milk in the Serra da Canastra highlands of Minas Gerais. It has a full-bodied, mildly spicy flavor. The cheese goes through three curing stages, from four days for the fresh cheese to forty days for the fully cured cheese.
What Brazilian cheese is grilled on a stick?
Coalho is a Brazilian cheese that most people eat grilled on a stick at the beach. It is a firm, lightweight, semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk in Northeastern Brazil. Coalho squeaks when you bite it, the same way fresh cheese curds do.
What is Catupiry?
Catupiry is a Brazilian brand of requeijão, a soft, creamy dairy spread made from cow's milk. It was created in Minas Gerais in 1911. It has a mild taste and spreads easily, and people use it in pizzas, coxinhas and pão de queijo across Brazil.
What is Minas cheese?
Minas cheese is a semi-soft cheese made from cow's milk in the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais. You can buy it in two forms: fresh, called frescal, or aged, called curado. In December 2024, UNESCO listed Minas cheese as intangible cultural heritage.
Which Brazilian cheeses are fresh cheeses?
Minas frescal and requeijão are two fresh Brazilian cheeses. Frescal is the fresh form of Minas cheese, a cow's milk cheese from Minas Gerais. Requeijão is a fresh whey cheese made in Portugal and Brazil from cow's, goat's or sheep's milk, and it is close to ricotta.