Peretta di Pattada - Sardinian specialty and living food history
Our Peretta di Pattada is a raw cow's milk cheese, typical of the Sardinian province of Sassari, and in particular of the town of Pattada.
The pear-shaped cheese has a smooth, thin rind which tends to become more compact and thickened with prolonged maturation. The cheese itself is quite soft and elastic, and with aging, the texture dries out and the compact layers of stretched curd can begin to separate slightly from each other. It melts well, comparable to caciocavallo cheeses, and has a characteristic aromatic, sweet flavour with low acidity, with the aroma and some bitter notes intensifying and adding pungency with aging.
It can be enjoyed melted over ‘pane carasau’ – Sardinian crisp flatbread, with honey drizzled on top, accompanied by a glass of Vermentino wine. In Chia, south Sardinia, it is also cut into large pieces and added to onions softened in butter, then deglazed with white wine vinegar and enjoyed once the vinegar is evaporated and thickened. Additionally, peretta is a traditional filling for ravioli or ‘seadas’, a typical Sardinian sweet pastry.
Peretta di Pattada is a protected cheese under the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, as a part of the Ark of Taste; helping to preserve localised and traditional small scale food production and food chains that are in danger of disappearing within a few generations due to a myriad of modern threats such as industrialisation, climate change, etc. For more information about the history of this cheese, and Slow Food’s role in keeping this food tradition alive, visit: https://www.fondazioneslowfood.com/en/ark-of-taste-slow-food/perette-di-pattada-2/
Why not try this recipe for another way to use it!
- Mix slices of our smoked swordfish and cherry tomatoes in a small bowl; season with salt, pepper and our Academia Olearia ‘fruttato medio’ extra virgin olive oil and allow it to sit for the flavours to mingle slightly.
- Toss sliced spring onions with a few drops of white wine vinegar in a bowl and let sit for 5 minutes to help reduce the pungency and soften the onion. Add a drizzle of olive oil and a small handful of pea shoots, season with salt and pepper, and toss to combine.
- Mix the swordfish mixture and pea shoots and spring onions together and add the peretta cheese, cut into bite size pieces. Toss to combine and enjoy!
