Sap Sago is made in the Swiss canton of Glarus, where it originated in the 8th century. It is a hard cheese made from skimmed cows’ milk and is matured for at least five months before sale.

Virtually fat-free, Sap Sago is not unlike hard Italian cheeses in texture. At its best when grated, it is mostly used as an accompaniment or seasoning for other dishes.

The alpine herb, Blue Fenugreek, contributes to the cheese a distinct aroma and flavour, similar to that of fenugreek seeds found in many spice racks. This herb, a type of blue clover, is also responsible for Sap Sago’s unique pale pastel lime colour.

Sap Sago’s bouquet is highly aromatic and pungent but the initial sharpness is nicely balanced by spicy notes of alpine herbs and grasses.

In the mouth the cheese is quite complex, displaying aged cheese piquancy along with hints of dried herbs and meadow flowers. The aftertaste is long and savoury with a noticeably salty tang.

Suggested wines: White - Pinot Grigio, Riesling, Viognier, Champagne. Red – Chianti, Shiraz, Dry Sherry.

Usage: use it wherever you would add sharp grated cheese. For example, grated over pasta, soups, steamed vegetables. Added as a flavour enhancer to cream sauces, risotto, and egg dishes like soufflé. Try mixing grated Sap Sago with an equal weight of softened butter and use this mixture in cheese-based hors d’oeuvres, spread over toast, or melted over freshly steamed asparagus spears or baby new potatoes in their jackets.