ABSTRACT
Sheep milk differs from the milk of other animals due to its rich constituents. It has favorable features for the preparation of dairy products, as it is rich in almost all its components. Sheep milk cheese is a product in itself with a high market price. The Portuguese cheeses are an important part of Portuguese culture and industry, not so known to the rest of the world. Portugal is home of many high quality farmhouse cheeses, which are produced mainly in the mountainous regions and the central highlands using sheep and goat milk. Most Portuguese cheeses have been given the designation of Protected Designation of Origin. The quality of sheep milk is associated to its ability to be processed as dairy products and high yields of such products per litre of milk, because the majority of sheep milk produced worldwide is processed into cheese and, to a lesser extent, into yogurt and ice cream.
