Canastra cheese
Canastra is a Brazilian cheese made from raw cow's milk in the Serra da Canastra highlands of Minas Gerais. It is known for a full-bodied, mildly spicy flavor and three curing stages, from four days fresh to forty days fully cured.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Brazil |
| Specific Origin | Serra da Canastra, Minas Gerais state |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Unpasteurized |
| Texture | Artisan |
| Flavor | Spicy |
| Aroma | Aromatic |
| Colors | Yellow |
| Age | 4 to 40 days |
| Also Known As | Queijo Canastra |
What is Canastra cheese?
Canastra comes from the Serra da Canastra, a highland in the southwest of Minas Gerais state, Brazil. The cheese takes its name from that region. Climate, altitude, pasture and water there are specific to how it is made, so production stays in a handful of towns and is supervised. In 2008 the cheese was recognized as part of Brazil's intangible cultural heritage.
It is made with raw cow's milk.
The flavor is full-bodied with mild spice. Buyers find it at three stages of maturation: fresh, half cured and fully cured. Fresh means four days of aging. Fully cured means forty.
How Does Canastra cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Canastra cheese against.
