Fiore Sardo is a cheese of very ancient origins that predates the Roman conquest of Sardinia. Fiore Sardo is older than Pecorino Romano. Fiore Sardo enjoyed great popularity in the nineteenth century when it was the only cheese to be exported from the island. It was particularly sought after by merchants in Naples and Genoa where it was used in the preparation of pesto.

It is an uncooked hard cheese made from fresh whole sheep's milk. The cheese ripened in molds that will give the cheese its characteristic shape. After a brief period in brine, the molds are lightly smoked and left to ripen in cool cellars in central Sardinia.

The rind varies from deep yellow to dark brown in color and encases a paste that varies from white to straw-yellow. The sharpness of the flavor depends on the length of maturation.