Pecora Gioisa

Pecora Gioisa

Now we have one more Italian cheese to gaze over, so dear friend let us travel south, catch a ferry and land on the Italian Island of Sardinia.

On arrival we travel into the heart of this sun kissed Mediterranean island and discover this fresh table cheese made from ewes milk - matured for at least 90 days allowing it to create its delicate aromatic whiff and distinctive flavour.

This cheese is one of the many hard sheep milk cheeses that are produced in Sardinia (others being Pecorino Sardo) and also if you look at the larger Italian map, cheeses like Pecorino Romano, Peorino Toscano and the Sicilian  Picururinu Sicillanu, are also produced in a similar way. 

The name comes from the breed of Italian sheep - Pecora Sarda and is used for its milk to create many different styles of hard cheese.

This strong hard Sardinian General certainly packs a punch, it has surprisingly not got an overpowering odour, but this cheese soon ambushes your taste buds the moment that even a small amount goes anywhere near them.  This cheese goes for it and attacks you with every sensation it can muster; creamy, nutty, tangy and salty spring to mind.  This cheese is relentless with is flavours but it doesn't leave your mouth with a salty after taste unlike one or two hard cheeses.

Most definitely this cheese, in small amounts, could grace any cheese board but its bonus is, that this cheese can also be used in many Italian pasta dishes without the harm of overpowering the food.

For this, I will give this cheese a well deserved 4 out of 5.  I would also point you in the direction of the other hard Pecora family of cheese I mentioned.

Just for now we will leave The land of Pavarotti and Claudius, as I can hear distant sounds of male voice choirs so off we go again and speedily journey cross-country to the proud principality of Wales......