What the sources record about each of these so far.
Abertamský sýr (Abertam)Czech Republic, Ore Mountains
Also called Abertamský sýr, Abertam, Abertam cheese.
Abertam is a traditional farm cheese of sheep's milk from the Ore Mountains near Karlovy Vary. Reference works describe it as a hard or firm cheese of irregular round shape with a yellow to orange natural rind and a strong, acidic taste, ripened for about two months. No published source describes how it is made.
- Milk
- Sheep milk
- Ripening
- About 2 months (review citing an older reference work)
- Shape and rind
- Irregular spherical shape; natural rind, yellow to orange
- Texture and taste
- Firm; strong, acidic and tasty
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
- United States Department of Agriculture 1953, Cheese Varieties and Descriptions, Agriculture Handbook No. 54, entry 'Abertam'
- Martín-del-Campo S.T., Pérez-Alva A., Baigts-Allende D.K. 2025, Czech cheeses, their history, production, and chemical and sensory qualities, Journal of Food Science (PMC12057542)
BerkswellEngland, West Midlands, Ram Hall farm at Berkswell near Coventry
Berkswell is a hard raw ewe's milk cheese made at Ram Hall farm in the West Midlands. The curd is set with lamb's rennet and moulded by hand in kitchen colanders, which give the wheel its flying-saucer shape and patterned crust. The cheeses are dry-salted, coated and matured on wooden shelves for several months.
- Milk
- Raw sheep milk from the farm's own flock
- Ripening
- 3–5 months (2012 report)
- Shape
- Flying saucer, from moulding in colanders
- Rennet the warm milk
- Cut and stir
- Mould in colanders
- Turn and dry-salt6 days
- Wash and coat
- Mature on wooden shelves3–5 months
Cacio di nonno Nino di Montalto di CastroItaly, Lazio
Raw-curd ewe cheese with an olive-oil-treated, brushed rind; granular paste with eyes; table or grating use.
- Rind
- Thin, semi-hard, ochre or greyish, oily
- Size
- 4–5 kg; cylinder, flat faces, straight side
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen2–6 months
Caprino di malga (delle Alpi Marittime)Italy, Liguria
Little-known summer alpine goat cheese of the Ligurian Maritime Alps; white, fairly hard, sweetish paste with low aroma, credited to sea-influenced pasture plants.
- Rind
- Fairly thin, soft, straw yellow
- Size
- About 2.0 kg; Ø 35–40 cm as given by ONAF (looks implausible for 2 kg)
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen30 days
Fiore Sardo PDOSardinia
lamb paste, lightly smoked, oiled
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw
- Ripening
- ≥105 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Formaggio caprino della LiminaItaly, Calabria
Rare free-range goat cheese, strong and slightly piquant, with an oil-vinegar rind rub.
- Rind
- Treated with olive oil and a little vinegar, sometimes ground red pepper; rush marks
- Size
- 1.0–2.0 kg; Ø 10–20 cm, height 10–15 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd1 h
- Cut and drain the curd
- Mould and salt
Formaggio di grotta / Pecorino di grottaMarche/Tuscany
cave-aged
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- months in caves
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Imokilly Regato PDOIreland, south-east Cork
Also called Imokilly Regato, Regato.
A hard cow-milk cheese made at Mogeely in east Cork from milk of cows that graze from March to October. The milk is held 12–18 hours so its own bacteria start to grow, then set with a house culture and rennet, cut very fine and cooked hot. The wheels are brined, salted by hand and matured for about 9–12 months.
- Milk
- Cow milk from pasture-fed herds in south-east Cork, grazing March to October
- Ripening
- Typically 9–12 months
- Hold the milk12–18 h
- Add culture and rennet
- Cut fine and cook
- Mould and press
- Brine, then dry-salt by hand
- Mature9–12 months
Kraški ovčji sirSlovenia, Karst
Also called Kraški ovčji sir, Karst sheep cheese, Kras sheep cheese.
Kraški ovčji sir is a hard cheese made on farms of the Karst plateau in Slovenia from the raw milk of local pramenka sheep. Farmers once made it in copper kettles and carried it in wooden cases to Trieste, Gorizia and Rijeka. Its making steps and numbers sit in a national specification that could not be read for this entry.
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw (traditionally local pramenka sheep)
- Ripening
- Several months; outline sources disagree on the exact time, and the specification was not reachable
- Equipment
- Traditionally made in copper kettles; cheese carried to market in wooden cases (brente)
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
- Pravilnik o Kraškem ovčjem siru z zaščiteno označbo porekla, Uradni list RS 29/2008 (2008-01-1080); site unavailable (HTTP 503) in 2026-10, so its text was not read
- Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food (MKGP) 2025, Slovenski kmetijski pridelki in živila, zaščiteni pri Evropski komisiji (list dated 12.12.2025)
- MKGP 2021, Slovenski zaščiteni kmetijski pridelki in živila (publication of protected products)
- Bartolj J. 2018, Sun, wind and cheese, RTV Slovenija (Slovenia Revealed)
- Wikipedia (Slovenian), Kraški ovčji sir (outline only)
Majorero PDOFuerteventura
rind rubbed with paprika, gofio or oil; palm-weave marks
- Milk
- goat milk, (Majorera) (+S)
- Ripening
- 8 d – >60 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
MarzolinoTuscany
spring sheep cheese
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- fresh–months
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Marzolino o MarzolinaItaly, Lazio
Small mostly-goat cheese with very varied local recipes, built around the drying conditions of the southern Lazio mountains.
- Rind
- Absent or a thin skin, white or ivory
- Size
- 0.070–0.250 kg; near-cylinder, ø 6–8 cm, side at least 4 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Ripen
Mihaliç / Kelle peyniriBalıkesir
hard, salty, small holes
- Milk
- sheep milk
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Paški sir PDOPag, Croatia
salt-spray grazing; olive-oil rind
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- ≥5 mo
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Pecorino alle erbe aromaticheItaly, Toscana
Soft ewe cheese aged inside an oil-and-dried-herb 'shirt'.
- Rind
- None; herb coat, brown-green over a straw surface
- Size
- ~1.2 kg; Ø 16–18 cm, side 8–10 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Cut and drain the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen30–45 days
Pecorino Crotonese PDOCalabria
basket marks
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- ≥20 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Pecorino della vallata Stilaro-AllaroItaly, Calabria
Ewe-goat pecorino with a rennet made only from kid-stomach milk curd; made October–July.
- Rind
- Hard, greasy, rush marks; white to pale straw, ochre when aged; possible mould
- Size
- 1.0–2.0 kg; Ø 15–20 cm, height 8–14 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd1 h · 30–35 °C
- Cut and drain the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen
Pecorino di AmatriceItaly, Lazio
Hard ewe pecorino with an oil-and-vinegar blackened rind, the traditional cheese for spaghetti all'amatriciana; never salty.
- Rind
- Fairly thick, hard, oily; deep yellow or black (oil and vinegar treatment)
- Size
- 2.0–3.0 kg; cylinder, side 8–10 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Cook the curd
- Ripen6–12 months
Pecorino di FarindolaItaly, Abruzzo
Only pecorino coagulated with pig rennet; paste stays moist and friable even when long aged, with herbaceous, animal and mushroom notes. A consortium of 26 producers protects it.
- Rind
- Ochre-yellow, rush marks; harder with age
- Size
- 1–2 kg; Ø 14–22 cm, height 7–8 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd20–30 min · 36–37 °C
- Cook the curd
- Mould and salt
Pecorino di Filiano PDOBasilicata
kid/lamb paste; caves
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw
- Ripening
- ≥90 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Pecorino di Picinisco PDOLazio
- Milk
- sheep milk, (+G)
- Ripening
- ≥30 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Pecorino ligure di malgaItaly, Liguria
Pecorino linked to transhumant flocks from Bergamo valleys and Piedmont that wintered in Liguria (November–May) and sold ricotta and cheese on the coast.
- Rind
- Clean, smooth, possibly mould-spotted; straw to brown with age
- Size
- Ø 15–20 cm; height 6–10 cm (dolce), 10–13 cm (stagionato); weight n.d.
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Cut and drain the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen20 days – 2 months
Pecorino Sardo PDO (dolce/maturo)Sardinia
semi-cooked
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- dolce 20–60 d; maturo ≥2 mo
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Pecorino Toscano PDOTuscany
softer pecorino
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- fresco ≥20 d; stagionato ≥4 mo
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Piacentinu Ennese PDOEnna
saffron and peppercorns in paste
- Milk
- sheep milk
- Ripening
- ≥60 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queijo de Cabra do Pinhal MaiorPortugal, Centro
Raw goat milk, still warm from milking, is set with animal rennet in about 30–40 minutes. The curd is cut, drained slowly by hand in adjustable hoops and dry-salted one face at a time, with washing and scraping between turns. The cheeses ripen 30 days (semicurado) or 60–90 days (curado), and the 'de azeite' type is kept in local olive oil for a time the makers keep secret.
- Size
- 'Prato' 400–600 g, 15–20 cm across, 3–5 cm high; queijinhos about 6 cm across and no more than 150 g
- Filter the warm milk
- Set with animal rennet30–40 min
- Cut and rest
- Drain slowly in the hoops
- Salt face by face, washing and scraping12–24 h
- Ripen30 days – 3 months
- Immerse in olive oil (de azeite type)
Safety: Made from raw milk; the published description gives no ripening temperature or minimum time beyond 30 days for the half-cured cheese.
Queijo de Évora PDOAlentejo
thistle; hard small
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queijo de Nisa PDOAlentejo
thistle; pitted paste
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw
- Ripening
- ≥45 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queijo de TomarPortugal, Ribatejo Norte
Sheep milk from the morning milking is warmed by the hearth or in a water bath to 29–35 °C and set in 30–50 minutes, mainly with cardoon in a cloth bundle ('boneca'), sometimes with rennet. The curd is cut and crumbled on the francela, pressed by hand into tiny hoops and salted on both sides. After 1–2 days of draining the 30–40 g cheeses cure for 21 days, turned regularly.
- Size
- 30–40 g; about 5 cm across and 4 cm high
- Strain the morning milk
- Warm and set with cardoon30–50 min · 29–35 °C
- Cut and crumble on the francela
- Fill tiny hoops, press and salt
- Drain before unmoulding24 h – 2 days
- Cure21 days
Safety: The published description does not say whether the milk is raw or heated, and gives no ripening temperature.
Queijo Serra da Estrela PDOPortugal
thistle coagulant; runny
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw (Bordaleira)
- Ripening
- ≥30 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queso añejoMexico
aged; chili-rubbed version (enchilado)
- Milk
- cow/goat milk
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queso de La Serena PDOBadajoz
thistle rennet
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw
- Ripening
- ≥60 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queso de Mallorca (incl. Oveja Roja Mallorquina)Spain, Balearic Islands
Also called formatge de Mallorca, formatge d'ovella roja mallorquina, Mallorcan sheep cheese, queso de Llucmajor.
A small raw sheep-milk cheese of Mallorca, sometimes mixed with goat milk. In the Oveja Roja Mallorquina version the milk is warmed to 32 °C and set in about 30 minutes with a cardoon-flower coagulant, shaped in cotton cloths into the traditional fogasser form, pressed eight hours, salted, and ripened about two months, its dry rind rubbed with oil.
- Shape and size
- Square with rounded edges, about 6 cm high and 15 cm across, 300–1,000 g
- Season
- Ewes milked from October to the end of June; no cheese in summer
- Warm the raw milk32 °C
- Set with cardoon coagulant30 min
- Cut and shape in cloth
- Press and salt8 h
- Ripen and oil the rind2 months
Safety: The cheese is made from raw milk. ANSES advises pregnant women, young children, people over 65 and people with weak immunity not to eat raw-milk cheeses other than pressed cooked ones, because of Listeria, Salmonella and Shiga-toxin E. coli.
Queso Palmero PDOLa Palma
smoked with pine, almond shells, cactus
- Milk
- goat milk, raw
- Ripening
- ≥8 d
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Queso pata de muloSpain, Castile and León
Also called queso de encella, angilla.
Log-shaped hard sheep cheese, the aged form of Villalón fresh cheese; blind, flaky paste.
- Rind
- Yellow to ochre
- Size
- Log ('mule's leg') shape
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen3–6 months
Roncal PDONavarre
first Spanish DO cheese (1981)
- Milk
- sheep milk, raw
- Ripening
- ≥4 mo
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
Sardo (Argentina)Argentina
cow-milk pecorino imitation
- Milk
- cow milk
Made like Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates).
SolaItaly, Piemonte
Also called Sora, Soera.
Flat, shoe-sole-shaped ('suola') pressed ewe/goat cheese formed in cloth, not moulds.
- Size
- 1.0–3.0 kg; rough rectangular slab, long side 15–25 cm, side 3–4 cm
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Mould and salt
- Ripen
Torta de BarrosSpain, Extremadura
Runny cardoon-set Merino torta from Badajoz, outside the Torta del Casar and La Serena DOP areas.
- Rind
- Firm rind over a soft, runny centre
- Prepare the milk
- Set the curd
- Ripen