Queijo Minas Preserves a Centuries-Old Craft in Brazil
The artisanal production of Queijo Minas is linked to rural communities in Minas Gerais and to methods developed to use and preserve milk. Families in different areas have established their own approaches to curdling, pressing, salting and ageing, shaped by local conditions. Raw milk remains a defining feature, and some producers use pingo, a natural starter made from whey left by an earlier batch.
Fernanda learned the craft from her mother-in-law and later adapted it through her own experience. After milking, she combines the milk with rennet and salt. The curd is then rested, cut, drained and shaped by hand. She says that decisions over the quantity of salt, resting time and handling of the curd affect the finished cheese, while hygiene, clean utensils and production conditions are also part of the work.
“When she started teaching me, I began to learn and saw that it was a very beautiful art, because the cheese is shaped by your hands,” Fernanda recalls. In addition to the traditional cheese, she now makes seasoned versions and varieties containing guava paste. Her farm also supplies milk to a local dairy, while cheese production provides supplementary income.
Fernanda prepares the pieces, manages orders and makes deliveries during the week. On Saturdays she sells at the producers’ market in Paracatu, and some of her cheese is served at hotels’ breakfasts in the city. Customers have associated its flavour with family memories. “My customers say: ‘It feels as if I am eating my grandmother’s cheese.’ Each customer brings a different feeling,” she says.
The Modos de Fazer o Queijo Minas Artesanal were entered by Brazil’s National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage, known as Iphan, in the Book of Knowledge on June 13th 2008, under the name Modo Artesanal de Fazer Queijo de Minas. On November 11th 2021, the Advisory Council for Cultural Heritage approved a revalidation of the registration and changed its name to the current form. The decision also expanded the territorial scope to include other producing regions identified in Minas Gerais and areas that may be recognised later.
UNESCO added the production methods to its Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on December 4th 2024. The craft varies according to territory, ingredients and family experience. Fernanda’s daughter has begun learning the process and helps when orders increase, including how to remove whey thoroughly and press the curd so it binds without creating holes. Fernanda has also taught others and intends to continue doing so. “I learned the way she made the cheese, but over time I adapted it to my way. So today I have my own touch,” she says.
