6. Say Queijo
Relatively unknown, the melty Serra da Estrela cheese is made from ewes' milk.
Why Portugal's cheeses are not better known is a mystery. True, amarelo da Beira Baixa -- a herby goat-and-sheep-milk mix, was judged the world's greatest in a tasting organized by Wine Spectator and Vanity Fair a few years back.
Yet creamy Serra da Estrela from the milk of ewes raised in Portugal's loftiest mountain range; hard, pungent cow's-milk cheeses made on the precipitous mid-Atlantic slopes of Sao Jorge island; or peppery Terrincho produced in remote Tras-os-Montes, remain largely unknown.
Such dairy delights may be served as appetizers or after a meal with red wine or port, sometimes accompanied with quince jam (marmelada).