Fiore Sardo and Smoked Mozzarella, my impressions

 I decided to get two cheeses on opposite ends of the texture scale: Smoked Mozzarella for the softer side, and Fiore Sardo for the harder. I've had several other Italian cheeses and regular Mozzarella, but I was intrigued by both of the cheeses above, hence this review.

Fiore Sardo is a somewhat lesser-known cheese than other Pecorino (sheep) cheeses. The name stems from the original method of curdling the cheese via cardoon thistle flowers (much like how vinegar is an alternative source of curdling to rennet). Modern Fiore Sardo is however made using regular animal rennet. The original variety is said to date back to the Bronze Age, ergo this is a cheese with a very long historical pedigree.

The name is, loosely translated, "Flower of Sardinia", since Fiore means flower and the Sardo is short for Sardinia. Legally, only Fiore Sardo can be sold outside of Italy, it has an alternative version of itself that is combined with cheese fly larvae, which is banned outside of Italy for health concerns. Personally, even if it were legal, I would never wish to eat any cheese adulterated with insects. Ergo, this review will only cover the pure Fiore Sardo (aka Pecorino Sardo) only.

The other cheese is an American cheese, albeit made by a family with roots in Italy. It's classic Italian mozzarella, but instead of using "liquid smoke", as a flavor additive, it uses real smoking via hickory and cherrywood chips for a more authentic smoked flavor. Liquid smoke is a preferred synthesized alternative for ease of use and because it risks less charring or other damage to food than exposure to actual smoke fumes, but the creators of this mozzarella are fans of the old-school way of doing things.

First, we tried the smoked mozzarella. It's much like regular mozzarella, but the exterior of the cheese has a clear smoked look. It's also slightly firmer in texture than regular mozzarella and slices a bit neater as well. The taste was pretty good. My mother and grandmother both concurred it had a gentle taste and the smoking gave it a zesty though not unpleasant aftertaste. It's actually a good snacking cheese and we all concurred on that one.

We tried the Fiore Sardo next. While the mozzarella was mild with a slight smoky aftertaste, Fiore Sardo is a highly lactic cheese, meaning the taste is pretty sharp, with a mild fruity hint.

Now, I generally enjoy cheeses with sharp tastes, but Fiore Sardo is not a cheese I'd snack on. It would be best used as part of a meal, likely paired with a decent wine or some other drink to combat the strong taste and mellow some of the harsh edge. My mother and grandmother unanimously agreed on this point.

Overall, of the two, the smoked mozzarella was definitely the preferred of our testing. The smoking adds a bit more preservative to the cheese, so it can stored in the refrigerator somewhat longer than regular mozzarella. The Fiore Sardo is already an aged cheese, so it will store for quite some time by default.