- Milk
- Whole raw sheep’s milk
- Protection
- DOP
Fine curd grains and careful rind work
Fiore Sardo is made with fresh, whole raw sheep’s milk and lamb or kid rennet paste. The curd is broken vigorously into grains about the size of millet, allowed to settle, then gathered into truncated-cone molds. Repeated turning helps the whey drain away.
Hot whey or water is used to strengthen the rind before brining. The cheeses dry on racks and may be smoked with branches of local shrubs and trees. Further maturation involves regular turning; in the final cellar stage, the rind is rubbed with a mixture of olive oil, wine vinegar and salt.
Where Fiore Sardo is made
The protected production area is the whole of Sardinia. Milk comes from sheep of the Sarda breed.
SardiniaWhat to pour with it
Vermentino di SardegnaTry Fiore Sardo with Vermentino di Sardegna in a cheese-and-wine tasting.
Cannonau di SardegnaTry Fiore Sardo with Cannonau di Sardegna in a cheese-and-wine tasting.
CannonauTaste Fiore Sardo with a wine made with Cannonau, choosing the bottle’s style to suit the cheese.
Carignano del SulcisTry Fiore Sardo with Carignano del Sulcis in a comparative cheese-and-wine tasting.
Choosing Fiore Sardo
Use the full protected name, Fiore Sardo DOP, when choosing this cheese.
Questions worth asking
Which milk is used?
The specification calls for whole raw sheep’s milk.
Where is the protected area?
The protected production area is the whole of Sardinia. Milk comes from sheep of the Sarda breed.
Is the name protected?
Fiore Sardo is a DOP cheese. Its official specification sets the requirements for using the protected name.
