Fiore Sardo

Fiore Sardo is a whole-milk hard uncooked sheep's cheese produced across the entire territory of the autonomous region of Sardinia. The curd, set with lamb's and/or kid's rennet, is milled, pressed into moulds of a distinctive double truncated-cone form, salted, and ripened with smoking by natural means. It is produced at varying maturities for use as a table cheese or for grating.

About this designation

Fiore Sardo is registered as a PDO under file number PDO-IT-0007, with EU protection granted on 2 July 1996, and is recorded in eAmbrosia under identifier EUGI00000012989. The protected name as registered is Fiore Sardo. The designated geographical area is the entire territory of the autonomous region of Sardinia. The specification requires whole sheep's milk, uncooked, with curds obtained through the addition of lamb's and/or kid's rennets. After coagulation, the curds undergo milling and are pressed into moulds that produce a shape consisting of two flattened truncated cones with horizontal bases joined at the main base. Salting and ripening follow, and the ripening process includes smoking by natural means. The cheese is produced at varying degrees of maturity depending on its intended use, either as a table cheese or as a grating cheese. The specification links the product's particular characteristics to the pastureland of Sardinia, described as rich in natural essences, which impart particular qualities to the milk. The control body named in the specification is the Ministero dell'Agricoltura e delle Foreste — Ispettorato Centrale Repressione Frodi, Rome. The cheese is marketed with a label specifically giving the name of origin. The applicant group responsible for the designation is the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Fiore Sardo DOP.

Source: The register document this entry was written from · retrieved August 26, 2026

Distinctive facts

• Registered as a PDO on 2 July 1996 under file number PDO-IT-0007, eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000012989.
• The specification permits only whole sheep's milk coagulated with lamb's and/or kid's rennets — no other rennet type is named.
• Ripening must include smoking by natural means, as stated in the production method requirements.
• The designated area covers the entire territory of the autonomous region of Sardinia, with no sub-zone exclusions stated.

Tasting notes

Sardinian raw sheep's milk hard cheese, traditionally smoked over juniper, aged 3-12+ months. Straw-yellow to amber paste, firm crumbly texture, intense aromatic flavor combining sheep-milk savor, smoke notes, and Mediterranean herb hints.

HoReCa use

Centerpiece of Sardinian cheese boards; grated over malloreddus and culurgiones; classic ingredient in pesto Genovese (traditional recipe); paired with myrtle berry preserve.

Packaging

• wheel-full-1.5-4kg
• wheel-half-vacuum-1kg
• wedge-vacuum-300g
• grated-pre-pack-100g