JJ29_made in italy

A PECORINO CHEESE AT RISK OF EXTINCTION

Italy could also be called the cheese peninsula. In whichever region you find yourself, you might meet cheese farmers, such as cows, sheep or goats. Every town has its typical cheeses, every micro-zone within each region has different processing techniques, handed down through generations; the milk takes on a different flavour and aroma depending on the food the animals eat and the environment in which they are born and live. Cheeses are a real magic, discovered thousands of years ago almost by chance, and have become a real must for lovers of good food.  Today we are going to Sardinia, to discover an ancient cheese, a Pecorino cheese that today is only produced in one town and marketed by a single company: it is the ‘Fresa di Ittiri’. ‘Fresa di Ittiri’ Pecorino is a Sardinian cheese with a centuries-old tradition. Its main peculiarity lies in its shape and production method: it used to be made in midsummer, when the sheep were free to graze and produce large quantities of milk; the problem faced by shepherds, however, was that due to the high temperatures, the cheese wheels used to swell. The ingenious and enterprising Sardinian women then began to press the moulds with stones and bricks to prevent swelling, giving the Fresa its characteristic flattened shape.
LA FRESA DI ITTIRI ‘Fresa di Ittiri’ is an anomalous Sardinian Pecorino, being in itself sweet and delicate to the palate. Sardinian tradition calls for it to be served with bread and seasonal vegetables. Today, the shepherds of Azienda Agricola Canu still produce this magnificent cheese in Ittiri, a small Sardinian town, using only the raw milk of their sheep. Are you curious to taste ‘Fresa di Ittiri’ and other rare Italian specialities? Then go to www.gustatium.it and order them with a simple click!  
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