Portuguese Cheese BoardHow to Build One, With Quantities

A Portuguese cheese board, or tábua de queijos e enchidos, pairs three cheeses (one soft sheep's milk, one semi-hard, one hard) with presunto, sliced chouriço, quince paste, olives, crusty bread and a couple of opened tins of fish. Allow about 60-80 g of cheese and 40-50 g of cured meat per person as a starter, double that as a meal.

It's the easiest way to entertain the Portuguese way: no cooking, everything shared, and plenty of wine. Here's how to build one that tastes like a Lisbon wine bar rather than a supermarket platter.

The cheeses: pick three

Three cheeses is the right number. Choose one from each group so the board has contrast in texture and strength. For details on every cheese, read our Portuguese cheese guide.

1. A soft, spoonable sheep's cheese. Serra da Estrela, Azeitão or Serpa. This is the centrepiece. Cut the lid off the top and serve it with a small spoon.
2. A semi-hard cheese. Nisa, Castelo Branco or a young Évora. Cut into wedges or thick slices.
3. A hard, sharp cheese. São Jorge or another aged Azorean cow's cheese. Cut into shards or thin slices.

Add a fourth if you have more than eight guests: a tub of queijo fresco with olive oil, salt and oregano, or requeijão with pumpkin jam.

If you live outside Portugal and can only find one Portuguese cheese, São Jorge travels best. Fill the other spots with a ripe Spanish Torta del Casar (similar to Serra da Estrela) and a Manchego.

The meats: presunto, chouriço and more

• Presunto. Portuguese cured ham, sliced paper-thin. The most prized comes from black Alentejano pigs, and from Chaves in the north. Drape the slices loosely, don't lay them flat.
• Chouriço. The smoky, garlicky pork sausage. Slice it thin and serve it raw on the board, or flame a whole one at the table in a clay assador for drama. See our chouriço assado recipe and our guide on how to use a chouriço assador.
• Paio or salpicão. Cured pork loin sausages, leaner than chouriço. Slice thin.

Our Portuguese sausages guide explains the differences. If you can't find Portuguese sausages, Spanish lomo and serrano ham are good stand-ins.

Portuguese

Portuguese clay chouriço grill (assador)

The glazed terracotta dish with a slotted top for flaming chouriço at the table. Most Portuguese homes have one in a cupboard.

Tip: The medium size fits a standard chouriço. Use it on a cork board or tiles, never near curtains.

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The sweet things

Portuguese cheese loves something sweet next to it.

• Marmelada. Firm quince paste, sold in blocks. Cut into small cubes or thin slices. It's the classic partner for Serra da Estrela.
• Doce de abóbora. Pumpkin jam, for requeijão and fresh cheese.
• Fig jam or honey. For the hard and sharp cheeses.
• Fresh fruit. Grapes in autumn, figs in late summer, pears in winter.
• Nuts. Walnuts and toasted almonds.

The savoury extras

• Olives. Portuguese azeitonas are often small, dark and marinated with garlic, oregano and lemon. Warm them for a minute in olive oil to bring out the flavour.
• Tins of fish. Open two tins, sardines and mackerel or tuna, and set them on the board in their tins with a fork. It's very Portuguese. Choose tins packed in olive oil (azeite).
• Tremoços. Salted lupin beans, the classic bar snack.
• Something warm (optional). A plate of pastéis de bacalhau or rissóis de camarão (shrimp turnovers) turns the board into a full petiscos night.

Portuguese

Comur sardines with lemon, 3 tins

Portuguese sardines with lemon in Comur's beautiful retro tins. A gift that's also a quick lunch.

Tip: Good on toast with black pepper.

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The bread

Bread matters as much as the cheese. Buy two kinds:

• A crusty, chewy country loaf (pão alentejano style), sliced thick.
• Broa, Portuguese cornbread, cut into wedges. Its slightly sweet, dense crumb is great with sharp cheese and chouriço.

Allow about 100 g of bread per person. Our Portuguese bread guide has more on what to look for.

How much to buy per person

As a starter before dinner:

• Cheese: 60-80 g per person in total.
• Cured meats: 40-50 g per person.
• Bread: 80-100 g per person.
• Olives, nuts, fruit, jam: a small bowl of each per 4-6 people.

As the main meal (a long evening of grazing):

• Cheese: 120-150 g per person.
• Cured meats: 80-100 g per person.
• Bread: 150 g per person.
• Add 2-3 tins of fish for every 6 people.

For 6 people as a main, that's roughly 800 g of cheese across three cheeses, 500 g of meats and a kilo of bread.

How to lay out the board

1. Start with the cheeses. Place them first, spaced out. Put the soft cheese in the middle with its lid off and a spoon beside it.
2. Add bowls. Small bowls for olives, jam and anything wet, so juices don't run.
3. Fold in the meats. Loose folds of presunto and fanned slices of chouriço between the cheeses.
4. Fill the gaps. Marmelada slices next to the soft cheese, fruit and nuts in the spaces, tins at the edges.
5. Serve bread separately in a basket so it stays crisp.

Use a large wooden or cork board. A ceramic dish works well for the soft cheese, because it gets runny as it warms.

Portuguese

Casafina Portuguese cork oval placemats, set of 4

Natural Portuguese cork placemats that take hot plates and look good with any tableware.

Tip: Wipe clean, don't soak.

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What wine to serve with a Portuguese cheese board

• Red: an Alentejo or Dão red suits sheep's milk cheese and chouriço.
• White: a crisp vinho verde or an Alvarinho for the fresh cheese, tins and olives. See our vinho verde guide.
• Sweet: a 10-year-old tawny or an LBV port with Serra da Estrela and the hard cheeses at the end.

Plan on half a bottle of wine per guest for a long evening. For more drinks ideas, read our Portuguese drinks guide.

From the shop

What you’ll need

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Portuguese

Portuguese clay chouriço grill (assador)

The glazed terracotta dish with a slotted top for flaming chouriço at the table. Most Portuguese homes have one in a cupboard.

Tip: The medium size fits a standard chouriço. Use it on a cork board or tiles, never near curtains.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Comur sardines with lemon, 3 tins

Portuguese sardines with lemon in Comur's beautiful retro tins. A gift that's also a quick lunch.

Tip: Good on toast with black pepper.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

Casafina Portuguese cork oval placemats, set of 4

Natural Portuguese cork placemats that take hot plates and look good with any tableware.

Tip: Wipe clean, don't soak.

View on Amazon

Portuguese

José Gourmet ceramic fish dish

A fish-shaped ceramic dish from José Gourmet, one of Portugal's best-known tinned fish brands. Made for serving conservas at the table.

Tip: Pair it with a few tins for a ready-made gift.

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