Pecorino Sardo

Pecorino Sardo is a PDO-protected semi-hard cheese made from whole ewe's milk, produced exclusively within the Sardinia Autonomous Region. It exists in two distinct varieties: dolce, ripened for between 20 and 60 days, and maturo, ripened for no less than two months. The maturo variety may additionally be smoked by natural means.

About this designation

Pecorino Sardo received PDO protection on 2 July 1996 and is registered under file number PDO-IT-0018 with eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013000. The protected name as registered is Pecorino Sardo. The entire production area is the Sardinia Autonomous Region. The cheese must be made from whole ewe's milk, which may be thermised or pasteurised, with the addition of calf's rennet and, where used, starter cultures taxonomically similar to the Streptococcus Thermophilus species and originating from the area of origin. The curds are broken to the size of a hazelnut for the dolce variety and to the size of a corn grain for the maturo variety. The dolce type is ripened for between 20 and 60 days; the maturo type for no less than two months, and may be smoked by natural means. Freezing and deep-freezing of either variety is prohibited. Finished cheeses bear an indelible food ink stamp reading PS DOP applied within the production zone; each cheese also carries an adhesive mark printed with an alphanumeric code identifying the individual cheese. The label must display the designation's logo within an outer ring of between 2 cm and 3 cm in width, containing between 12 and 24 Pecorino Sardo PDO marks. The inspection body is OCPA Organismo di controllo dei formaggi Pecorino Romano Dop, Pecorino Sardo Dop, Fiore Sardo Dop, based in Macomer. The applicant group is the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Pecorino 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-0018 (eAmbrosia identifier EUGI00000013000).
• The specification prohibits freezing or deep-freezing of both the dolce and maturo varieties.
• Each individual cheese must carry an adhesive mark bearing an alphanumeric code enabling rapid market traceability.
• The maturo variety may be smoked by natural means; the specification permits no other smoking method.

Tasting notes

Sardinian sheep's milk cheese in two styles. Dolce (20-60 days): pale ivory soft paste, mild milky-sweet flavor. Maturo (60+ days, often 6 mo+): firmer amber paste, intense savory-tangy with grassy-herbal Mediterranean notes.

HoReCa use

Dolce on cheese boards with myrtle preserve; maturo grated on Sardinian pasta such as malloreddus and fregula; used as a component of seadas, a fried cheese pastry; paired with Cannonau wine.

Packaging

• wheel-full-1.5-4kg
• wedge-vacuum-500g
• wedge-vacuum-250g
• grated-pre-pack-100g