Fiore Sardo

An ancient Italian cheese that is a raw, hard, sheeps' milk cheese. It is a DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin) cheese. It is made with goats' or kids' rennet. After it has coagulated it's poured into moulds. After a short brine, the cheese is lightly smoked and left to ripen in cool cellars in Sardinia. The average weight of the finished product is 3.5 kilos. The rind is deep yellow to dark brown and encases a paste that is white to straw-yellow. The sharpness of the flavour depends on the length of maturation. It is known to be an excellent table cheese. If aged for more than six months, it becomes an good grating cheese. It is produced across the entire island of Sardinia.