Serpa, a Portuguese cheese from French sheep

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Mario Ferreira
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Serpa, a Portuguese cheese from French sheep

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URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... GSTU7K.DTL

Cheese course: Serpa, a Portuguese cheese from French sheep

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Pair Serpa with an earthy, fruity red, such as California Syrah. Styled by Madelyn Feldman. Photo by John Lee, special to the Chronicle

Janet Fletcher, Chronicle Staff Writer
Friday, October 26, 2007


A Portuguese sheep's milk cheese that surfaces in Bay Area shops only rarely, Serpa is well worth picking up when you spot it. It comes from the Alentejo region in the southeastern part of the country, an area blanketed with the cork oaks that yield the closures for many of the world's wines. The traditional sheep in the region was the merino, famed for its wool, but many farmers have switched to the Lacaune - a French breed that provides the milk for Roquefort - because it is a better producer.

Until the middle of the last century, Serpa production happened entirely on the farm, either at the hands of the shepherd or a hired expert known as a roupeiro. Every roupeiro had slightly different techniques and secret methods, so the cheeses probably were not terribly consistent. Today, Serpa is largely made in hygienic dairies, sometimes by the descendants of these earlier roupeiros, and it is a PDO (name-protected) cheese that must be made according to regulations.

Like the other Portuguese sheep's milk cheeses that we occasionally see in this country - Azeitao, Serra da Estrala and Evora - Serpa is coagulated not with rennet, but with the flowers of a wild cardoon, an artichoke relative. The flowers are gathered and dried; then, at cheesemaking time, they are steeped in water to make an infusion that has the power to coagulate milk. Coagulation happens within about 90 minutes, then the curd is cut, salted, transferred to molds and lightly pressed by hand to expel more whey and shape the wheel. During the maturation, the wheels will be turned and washed with brine frequently. The Portuguese eat Serpa after a minimum of 30 days aging, when it is moist and creamy. American laws require at least 60 days aging because the cheese is made with raw milk. Some producers age Serpa even longer, for customers who like a firmer cheese, but all those I've tried have been on the moist side.

A wheel of Serpa weighs 2 to 3 pounds, measures perhaps 11/2 inches tall, and if ripe, it may sag in the center. It has a thin natural rind dusted with white and gray molds and an aroma of mushrooms and wet stone mingled with creme fraiche. The interior is ivory to pale butter in color, with many tiny eyes and a peculiar texture that I would describe as loose and fragile, with an unusual spongy or springy quality. Serpa has a bitter note common to all these cardoon-coagulated Portuguese cheeses, and moderate to pronounced pungency.

Pour a red wine that's more earthy than fruity, such as a California Syrah. I think the cheese is too big in flavor for most white wines.

Look for Serpa at Rainbow Grocery in San Francisco and Sunshine Foods in St. Helena.

Next up: Bucheron, a French goat's milk cheese.

This article appeared on page F - 5 of the San Francisco Chronicle

URL: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.c ... GSTU7K.DTL
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Roy Hersh
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Post by Roy Hersh »

Thanks Mario.

A fine cheese, but I still prefer Serra de Estrella.

However in the USA it is normally above $40 per pound and in Portugal it was 16 Euros per Kilo!!! :shock:
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Andy Velebil
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Post by Andy Velebil »

Roy Hersh wrote:but I still prefer Serra de Estrella.
:yumyum: I am lactose intolerant and don't eat cheese, but I love Serra de Estrella and eat it by the spoon full when in Portugal. Yes, its that good!
Andy Velebil Good wine is a good familiar creature if it be well used. William Shakespeare http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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Roy Hersh
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Post by Roy Hersh »

Qui coupe le fromage?
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
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