Cheese Database

Queijo coalho vs Queijo prato

Queijo coalho

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
No rind
Country
Brazil

Queijo coalho is a firm Brazilian cheese made from cow's milk and set with rennet. The word coalho refers to that rennet, and it tells you how the curd is begun. The paste is white to pale yellow, elastic, and a little squeaky, with a salty, mildly tangy taste. It is sold in blocks or already cut and skewered. Heat is the test that defines it, because the cheese browns and softens but keeps its shape.

Queijo prato

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Country
Brazil

Queijo prato is a mild semi-hard cheese from Brazil, and it is one of the pressed cheeses people there use every day. Dairies make it from cow's milk and color the paste with annatto, which turns it a warm yellow. The body is smooth and elastic, with few openings, so it slices into even pieces. Salt stays light, and the flavor is buttery rather than sharp. You will see it as a flat round or as a rectangular block meant for the slicer.