The 23 best cheeses in Portugal, chosen as part of the Queijos de Portugal 2023 competition held by ANIL (National Association of Dairy Industries), are now known, with 8 cheeses from the Azores among the winners.
There were 172 national cheeses from different categories in the competition, the main technical cheese competition in Portugal.
From the most common and most present on the Portuguese table, such as cured, buttery, Flemish, fresh, or curd, to the less usual, such as atabafado or surface culture, all categories were awarded a winner and honorable mentions, for a total of 23 winners and 45 honorable mentions.
Uniqueijo’s ‘Beira’ cheese, from the island of S. Jorge, was the winner of the Island Cheese category, followed by honorable mentions for ‘Famoso’ (Unileite) and ‘Valformoso’ (Insulac-Produtos Lácteos Açoreanos).
In the Spreadable Cheese category, the winner was ‘Valformoso’ (natural) (Insulac), followed by ‘Valformoso’ (herbs and garlic) (Insulac) with an honorable mention.

Another winning cheese in the Cheese with Surface Cultures category was ‘Ilha dos Mistérios,’ from Cooperativa Leite de Montanha, in Pico island.
Finally, the ‘Milhafre dos Açores’ (Pronicol-Produtos Lácteos) and ‘Quinta dos Açores’ (Quinta dos Açores) cheeses received honorable mentions in the ‘Cow’s Cheese (prolonged maturing)’ category.
“With the Portuguese Cheese Competition, ANIL wants to contribute to the growth and development of the cheese industry.
We want to boost and promote the quality of Portuguese cheese and be a driving force for innovation,” said ANIL’s Director General.
For Maria Cândida Marramaque, this competition “should be a facilitator of promotion and an essential tool for building consumer confidence and awareness.” “If, at the end of the year, the competition encourages consumers to try and buy more cheese, the competition has fulfilled its purpose,” she concluded.
Each participating company had the chance to enter different categories and could submit up to two references in each.

in Correio dos Açores, Natalino Viveiros, director

Translated to English as a community outreach program from the Portuguese Beyond Borders Institute (PBBI) and the Modern and Classical Languages and Cultures Department (MCLL) as part of Bruma Publication and ADMA (Azores-Diaspora Media Alliance)  at California State University, Fresno.