Casera Consortile del Pecorino di Farindola
The producers' consortium shop, opened 2001 in a basement of the renovated town hall. It sells Pecorino di Farindola from the member farms and also selects and ages the cheeses it sells.
About Caciofiore aquilano
Soft raw sheep's-milk cheese of the L'Aquila uplands, set with an infusion of wild artichoke flowers (Carlina acaulis) and saffron, not animal rennet. Slow Food says production lapsed for about 60 years and was revived by a single producer at Castel del Monte. Slow Food gives wheels of 13 to 15 cm across and 7 to 8 cm thick, weighing 0.5 to 1 kg, with a surface pattern from the draining baskets. It is an Abruzzo traditional food product and is on Slow Food's Ark of Taste.
Made in: Province of L'Aquila, tied to the high pastures; now made across Abruzzo
On the plate
The regional tourism board describes a heady aroma with notes of artichoke and meadow herbs, and a mild, very fine taste. Slow Food describes a soft, creamy, cream-white paste with no eyes.
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Caciofiore aquilano
Cococciola Abruzzo
Our pickA soft, mild sheep's cheese set with wild artichoke and saffron needs a light, delicate white. Cococciola's modest weight and fresh acidity let the herbal scent of the cheese come through.
The grapes behind these winesCococciola
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Cheese experiences nearby
Park itinerary no. 2: Su e giù per la Baronia
A 69 km driving loop from Barisciano, published by the Gran Sasso park, through Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Castel del Monte and Calascio. The park suggests buying Canestrato at a farm shop in Castel del Monte and stopping at the Campo Imperatore cooperative's dairy on the way back.
Caciofiore aquilano: questions
Is Caciofiore aquilano vegetarian?
The Abruzzo tourism board notes that it is especially welcome to vegetarians because no animal rennet is used; the curd is set with wild artichoke and saffron.
What gives it its yellow colour?
The tourism board attributes the straw-yellow colour and delicate scent to the artichoke and saffron infusion, while Slow Food describes the paste as cream-white, so treat the exact colour as variable.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Abruzzo
Plan the trip
Visit Caciofiore aquilano country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: www.abruzzoturismo.it, www.fondazioneslowfood.com. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.