Shepherds’ Fiore Sardo

Slow Food Presidium

Italy

Sardinia

Milk and milk products

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Shepherds’ Fiore Sardo

Fiore Sardo was once "the" cheese among Sardinia’s shepherds; it remained the most-produced cheese on the island until the transformation of milk passed from the shepherds to the industrialists and Pecorino Romano became the most important cheese in Sardinia. The name fiore (“flower”) seems to derive from the historical use of thistle flowers as a source of rennet, but other testimonies indicate the wooden molds used to make the cheese had the design of a flower (similar to an asphodel or peony) carved in them. Each producer or municipality was recognizable thanks to these various designs.

Fiore Sardo is a cheese with a long history and a strong, distinctive flavor. It is the typical product of the sheep-raising communities of the inland areas of Sardinia, particularly Barbagia, a mountainous area in Nuoro Province. The traditional production technique has remained essentially unchanged for centuries: Just after milking, the raw, whole milk of Sarda sheep is placed in copper boilers and coagulated at a temperature of 32-35 °C using lamb rennet normally produced by the shepherd himself. After 20-30 minutes, according to the season, the curd is broken into particles the size of a grain of rice and left to settle at the bottom of the pot. The curd is then patiently collected from the bottom of the boiler and deposited in the characteristic molds. At this point the shepherd-cheesemaker shapes and applies pressure to the curd, purging as much whey as possible. When the mass is firm, it is extracted from the mold and left to rest for about 24 hours, after which it is immersed in the brine, where it remains for 8-12 hours per kilogram of cheese. Next, the cheeses are placed on wooden or woven cane racks (cannizza) near a fire, where they dry and smoke for about 2 weeks. Finally, they mature for several months (the exact period depends on the producer and style) on the ground in a cool, dry room. Once the right degree of ripeness is reached, the cheeses are periodically greased with a mixture of wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt. This process is simple but it requires extraordinary attention by the cheesemaker, slow gestures, and a lot of patience. Fiore Sardo was made in order to have cheese during the dry season, when the sheep do not produce milk.

Season

Production from December to June with an aging period of at least four months.

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The Presidium was founded to safeguard the traditional production of Fiore Sardo in a few small towns in the Barbagia. Here, a handful of cheesemakers hold and pass on the secrets of artisanal cheesemaking, producing cheese with whole, raw milk of Sarda sheep, without introduced cultures, with natural rennet that they produce themselves, and with a natural coating. The quantities of traditional Fiore Sardo produced are quite small, but the quality of the cheese is extraordinary—and yet, Shepherds’ Fiore Sardo is at risk of extinction. The Presidium producers work to make their cheese known outside the local area in order to guarantee the survival of an ancient product and practice.

Production area
Barbagia Municipality, Nuoro Province

Supported by
Sardinian Region

Producers

Salvatore Bussu
Località Bara
Macomer (Nu)
Tel. +39 329 4749566
maria.bussu@libero.it

Caseificio Artigianale Monte Nieddu
Via Brigata Sassari, 6
Olzai (Nu)
Tel.+39 347 6523390
info@montenieddu.com
www.montenieddu.com

Simone Cualbu
Località Serradellu
Macomer (Nu)
Tel. +39 331 3487608
simonecualbu@gmail.com

Roberto Logias
Località Spasulei
Sorgono (Nu)
Tel. +39 349 7478338
melichedda_roberto@yahoo.it

Sa Marchesa
di Giuseppe Cugusi
Località Sa Marchesa
Fordongianus (Or)
Tel.+39 328 6027607
samarchesa2.0@gmail.com
Slow Food Presidium Producers’ Coordinator
Salvatore Bussu
Tel. +39 329 4749566
maria.bussu@libero.it

Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Renato Brotzu
Tel. +39 328 2735432
rebrotzu@tiscali.it
The Presidium was founded to safeguard the traditional production of Fiore Sardo in a few small towns in the Barbagia. Here, a handful of cheesemakers hold and pass on the secrets of artisanal cheesemaking, producing cheese with whole, raw milk of Sarda sheep, without introduced cultures, with natural rennet that they produce themselves, and with a natural coating. The quantities of traditional Fiore Sardo produced are quite small, but the quality of the cheese is extraordinary—and yet, Shepherds’ Fiore Sardo is at risk of extinction. The Presidium producers work to make their cheese known outside the local area in order to guarantee the survival of an ancient product and practice.

Production area
Barbagia Municipality, Nuoro Province

Supported by
Sardinian Region

Producers

Salvatore Bussu
Località Bara
Macomer (Nu)
Tel. +39 329 4749566
maria.bussu@libero.it

Caseificio Artigianale Monte Nieddu
Via Brigata Sassari, 6
Olzai (Nu)
Tel.+39 347 6523390
info@montenieddu.com
www.montenieddu.com

Simone Cualbu
Località Serradellu
Macomer (Nu)
Tel. +39 331 3487608
simonecualbu@gmail.com

Roberto Logias
Località Spasulei
Sorgono (Nu)
Tel. +39 349 7478338
melichedda_roberto@yahoo.it

Sa Marchesa
di Giuseppe Cugusi
Località Sa Marchesa
Fordongianus (Or)
Tel.+39 328 6027607
samarchesa2.0@gmail.com
Slow Food Presidium Producers’ Coordinator
Salvatore Bussu
Tel. +39 329 4749566
maria.bussu@libero.it

Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Renato Brotzu
Tel. +39 328 2735432
rebrotzu@tiscali.it

Territory

StateItaly
RegionSardinia

Other info

CategoriesMilk and milk products