Oliveira do Hospital

Serra da Estrela Cheese is one of the region's most emblematic products, with production extending to the municipality of Oliveira do Hospital. It is a soft or semi-soft, unctuous paste cheese, produced from the milk of Bordaleira Serra da Estrela and Churra Mondegueira sheep breeds. Its artisanal production, using vegetable rennet (thistle), gives it an intense and characteristic flavor, reflecting the pastoral tradition and the deep connection to the mountainous territory.

Chanfana is a dish with great tradition in the gastronomy of the Beira region, including Oliveira do Hospital. It consists of goat meat slow-cooked in a wood-fired oven, inside black clay casseroles, with red wine, garlic, bay leaf, and paprika. This cooking method, which dates back to ancient times, allows the meat to become extremely tender and the sauce dense and flavorful, reflecting the richness of rustic flavors and popular wisdom in utilizing local resources.

Carqueja Rice is a unique dish deeply linked to the mountainous landscape. Its distinctive flavor comes from the infusion of carqueja, a wild shrub abundant in the region. Traditionally made with rice and pieces of meat (often lamb or kid), this dish is an example of subsistence cuisine that has known how to value available environmental ingredients, creating a gastronomic experience rooted in rural tradition.

Olive Oil Cake is a simple but flavorful dessert that celebrates one of the municipality's most important products – olive oil. Made with extra virgin olive oil, flour, eggs, and sugar, this cake has a dense texture and a characteristic aroma. It represents the region's homemade confectionery, which uses local products to create delicacies that evoke traditions of the past and the importance of olive growing in the local economy and culture.