Cheese Database

Minas vs Queijo de Colônia

Minas

Facts

Milk
Cow
Country
Brazil

Minas is a family of cow's milk cheeses from Brazil, and the name points to Minas Gerais, the state where the style took shape. The best-known version is fresh, white, moist, and mild, with little or no rind. Firmer versions are lightly cured, deeper in color, and easier to slice. All of them are everyday cheeses rather than long-aged grating wheels, and cooks use the fresh kind with bread and fruit. More than one style shares the name.

Queijo de Colônia

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Brazil

Queijo de Colônia is a cow's milk cheese from Brazil. The name refers to farm colonies where households turned spare milk into a wheel they could keep. It is usually a flat cylinder with a pale yellow paste and a natural rind. The rind firms with age, while the inside stays softer, elastic, and lightly spicy. Makers work on a small scale, often on the farm itself.