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Cheese from Italy, Sardegna

Ircano

Whole milk of Sarda goats is pasteurised or thermised and soured with native Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains, then set with liquid calf rennet at 36–38 °C. The curd is moulded in hexagonal moulds, soured 2.5–3 hours in a warm room and brined 2–3 hours. The soft cheese ripens 15–30 days at 6–8 °C.

Fully documentedCheese15 days – 30 daysTraditional food product (PAT, Regione Sardegna)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedMade by artisan or industrial dairies; the sheet gives no batch size or doses. A cheese weighs 1.2–1.5 kg.
Whole milk of Sarda goats raised in Sardinia[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Milk starter of native Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus strainsIsolated and characterised by the Istituto Zootecnico e Caseario della Sardegna[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Liquid calf rennet[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Salt (brine of 18–20 °Bé)[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Starternative Streptococcus thermophilus + Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains isolated by the Istituto Zootecnico e Caseario della Sardegna

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 days – 30 days

Start
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72 °C

What changes: The goat milk is heated to 72 °C for 15 seconds

Step 1 of 6
Pasteurise the milk
Time
0.2 min
Reported
Temperature
72 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus
Lactobacillus bulgaricus
Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Whole milk of Sarda goats is pasteurised or thermised and soured with native Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus strains, then set with liquid calf rennet at 36–38 °C. The curd is moulded in hexagonal moulds, soured 2.5–3 hours in a warm room and brined 2–3 hours. The soft cheese ripens 15–30 days at 6–8 °C. Made in 6 steps over 15 days – 30 days. The longest step, ripen cold, takes 15–30 days (Regione Sardegna 2016) and runs at 6–8 °C (Regione Sardegna 2016). Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus bulgaricus do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step15–30 daysReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen cold
Temperature6–8 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen cold

What makes this one different

A soft Sardinian goat cheese with a hexagonal shape, made with native strains isolated by the regional dairy institute. It sours a few hours in a warm room and ripens only 15–30 days.

Rind
Clean, thin, white to light straw
Size
Hexagonal prism about 16 cm across and 7–8 cm high, 1.2–1.5 kg
Season
Made December to July

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is pasteurised or thermised, and the cheese ripens at 6–8 °C.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

The Istituto Zootecnico e Caseario della Sardegna developed the method in the early 1980s and spread it through goat-farming magazines and fairs. In that period it was made mainly in industrial cooperative plants, especially in Ogliastra, Sarrabus Gerrei, Monte Linas, Barbagia and Baronia.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Sardegna, identification sheet of traditional products 'Ircano' (L. 238/2016 art. 12; D.Lgs. 173/98 art. 8), copy hosted by ONAFgov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Ircano'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Ircano' (id 1063)web