May 27, 2008

La Fête du Fromage - Tome de Brebis Sarde

At first I thought this week's cheese might be cheating a bit.
I bought it in France, but the name had me thinking that it was made in Sardinia. But it was so mouth-watering good that I decided to go ahead and include it in la Fête anyway.

Luckily for me, no cheating was required. After tirelessly researching this cheese for hours (which of course, I am happy to do for readers of la Fête du Fromage) I discovered that the cheese isn't made in Sardinia, rather from the milk of a breed of sheep called the Sarda - or Sarde in French. Here's a sweet photo of a herd.

I can now present this Tome de Brebis Sarde as a bonafide, genuine French cheese. And a good one, at that.



More exhaustive research regarding the producers or origins of Tome de Brebis Sarde has revealed absolutely nothing. Though, I think it could be either Corsican or from the Auvergne. I purchased this nice piece from a local cheese vendor at the Olonzac market a few weeks ago and was going to ask her where it comes from when I went in for some shopping this morning, but the market got rained out.
Has anyone else ever tried it?

So, on to the taste...
It had mildly sharp, sweet and tangy flavors that reminded me a bit of Pecorino from Italy. (There is a Pecorino Sardo, an Italian cheese that is produced only the island of Sardinia) The texture was semi-firm and chewy and it had a sweet, light aroma. We both loved the toothsome texture and the rich flavor of this Tome and thought it was absolutely perfect with a glass of local red wine. I'll be purchasing more of this one in the future!


Next week I plan on having some more information about its origins.
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3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Sadly I have not tasted it, but even if I had I wouldn't remember. For some reason, I cannot remember the names of the wonderful cheeses I tasted. I need a list like yours!

That photo looks so beautiful with the radishes.

Danielle said...

Bravo! I can imagine the mouth-filling flavor and chewy texture of this tome. I actually learned how to make this type of cheese recently, and wish I could get some ewe's milk to make it!

Thank you, brave scout, for your exploration of le monde du fromage!

Jennifer said...

Colleen
Yes, when you taste every week, you need a list!
When you come back (I keep saying that, I know) you'll have to try it.
Yummy!

Danielle
How sad that you cannot find ewe's milk where you are. I'm surprised that there are no local farmers to source it from.
You're welcome! I'm enjoying myself immensely.