It’s a lazy late afternoon… I have a hankering for a glass of Portuguese wine… some bread.. and cheese.
Specifically, I’m craving some Queijo de Azeitão (Azeitão cheese)…
Which reminds me of why I love living in Portugal as a retiree. Am I about to share a story? “You betcha,” as my Minnesota relatives would say.
Portugal is one of the best places to live as an expat or foreign retiree… That’s my perspective… And also the opinion of many, many more folks, including my husband, Jeff.
I am Joch Woodruff. Jeff and I retired to live full-time in northern Portugal more than six-and-a-half years ago. Thanks to the support of the professional experts we met at a Live And Invest Overseas Conference in 2019 we discovered this little European country offers much more than sandy beaches, quaint coastal villages, and free health care…
…Portugal serves up some surprisingly delicious food.
We love discovering something unexpected, especially when it’s food! We were served Azeitão cheese as an entrada (starter) a few months after arriving in Porto. We were blown away! So of course we did some research.
I admit…
…I arrived in Portugal with misconceptions.
I was convinced the world’s best cheeses were found in North America. After all, I resided in Wisconsin and California for many years. I had experienced the best of the best.
Silly me! I didn’t know anything about the cheeses of Portugal.
Azeitão is a semi-soft cheese made with unpasteurized sheep’s milk and wild thistle rennet. Wild thistle rennet is a plant-based milk coagulant made from the dried flower petals of the wild cardoon thistle… a plant commonly found in Portugal and the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and northwestern Africa. Its use to curdle milk into cheese dates back to the Roman Empire.
Azeitão gets a little harder as it ages and matures, but the cheese is usually semi-soft. So, you don’t slice it. Instead, the way to enjoy Azeitão is to use a knife to carefully slice off the top of the rind. Then, use a spoon to get a dollop of the gooey cheese and put it on a piece of bread. This is how it is served in Portuguese cafés and restaurants as an entrada.
Queijo de Azeitão is a PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) product of Portugal. That means the cheese is unique to the area where it is prepared, processed, and produced. So, only cheese produced in the region of Setúbal, Palmela, and Sesimbra can be called Azeitão.
Dispelling my misconceptions about where to enjoy the best cheeses is an example of one of the many benefits to attending a Live And Invest Overseas Portugal Conference. You will discover that conference presenters go beyond myths and misconceptions to give you information needed to make informed decisions about moving to Europe’s Portugal.
We show it all to you…
When you join us in the Algarve next April!
That’s right… You’ll meet us for three days in stunning Portimão at the Jupiter Algarve Hotel, a 4-star beachfront hotel, spa, and conference center right on the vibrant Praia da Rocha.
You’ll get a Master Class on how to live, invest, and settle down in Portugal.
You’ll meet our top experts, in-the-know locals, and expats like Jeff and I who already made the move…
Plus, you’ll mingle with like-minded readers who are also considering a fresh start in Portugal.
Being on the ground in a place is the only way to truly know if that place is for you…
And, with the 2027 Live And Invest In Portugal Conference, you’ll get the full experience with the support and friendship of our entire professional network…
Book your spot to join us in the Algarve, here.
Sincerely,
Joch Woodruff
