Azeitão is a gourmet cheese made from unpasteurized sheep's milk that is produced at the foot of the Arrabida Mountains in Portugal.
Azeitão has a strong, earthy aroma. The paste is thick, soft, smooth and shiny. When the cheese is ripe it has a rich, creamy flavor with a sour-milk finish and a hint of flowers. Thistle flower is used instead of rennet. A ripe cheese will start to run at room temperature.
The older the cheese the harder and drier the paste will get and the intenser the flavor. The gourmet cheese is at its best when it is full, but still very rewarding when just over the top and flatter in form.
In order to comply with US FDA regulation for export to the USA the maturation of this cheese has been extended to over 60 days.