Pecorino cheeses are hard

Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance language *** Regional Ita ...

cheeses made from sheep's milk. The name "" derives from ''pecora'' which means

sheep Sheep or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are domesticated, ruminant mammals typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to domesticated ...

Overview

Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status under European Union law,

pecorino romano Pecorino Romano () is a hard, salty Italian cheese, often used for grating, made with sheep's milk. The name "pecorino" simply means "ovine" or "of sheep" in Italian; the name of the cheese, although protected, is a simple description rather t ...

is probably the best known outside Italy, especially in the United States, which has been an important export market for the cheese since the 19th century. Most pecorino is produced on the island of

Sardinia Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...

, though its production is also allowed in

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and in the Tuscan provinces of Grosseto and

Siena Siena ( , ; lat, Sena Iulia) is a city in Tuscany, Italy. It is the capital of the province of Siena. The city is historically linked to commercial and banking activities, having been a major banking center until the 13th and 14th centur ...

. Ancient Roman authors wrote about this cheese and its production technique. The other five mature PDO cheeses are the pecorino sardo from Sardinia (''casu berbeghinu'' in Sardinian language); pecorino toscano, whose production was already attested by

Pliny the Elder Gaius Plinius Secundus (AD 23/2479), called Pliny the Elder (), was a Roman author, naturalist and natural philosopher, and naval and army commander of the early Roman Empire, and a friend of the emperor Vespasian. He wrote the encyclopedic ' ...

in his '' Natural History'';

pecorino siciliano Pecorino siciliano DOP ( scn, picurinu sicilianu) is an origin-protected firm sheep milk cheese from the Italian island and region of Sicily. This cheese comes from the classical Greek world: in ancient times it was recognized as one of the best ...

(or ''picurinu sicilianu'' in Sicilian) from Sicily;

pecorino di Filiano Pecorino di Filiano is a firm cheese from the Italian region of Basilicata made from sheep milk. It was granted protected designation of origin (PDO) in 2007. Pecorino di Filiano is produced in the province of Potenza, in the communes of Atella, ...

from Basilicata; and pecorino crotonese from

Province of Crotone The province of Crotone ( it, provincia di Crotone) is a province in the Calabria region of southern Italy. It was formed in 1992 out of a section of the province of Catanzaro. The provincial capital is the city of Crotone. It borders the province ...

in Calabria. Another well-known pecorino is the one that was produced in Abruzzo, the pecorino di

Atri Atri ( sa, अत्रि) or Attri is a Vedic sage, who is credited with composing numerous hymns to Agni, Indra, and other Vedic deities of Hinduism. Atri is one of the Saptarishi (seven great Vedic sages) in the Hindu tradition, and the on ...

. All come in a variety of styles depending on how long they have been aged. The more matured cheeses, referred to as ''stagionato'' ("seasoned" or "aged"), are harder but still crumbly in texture and have decidedly buttery and nutty flavours. The other two types, ''semi-stagionato'' and ''fresco'', have a softer texture and milder cream and milk tastes.

Tradition

A variant from Southern Italy is pecorino pepato (literally, "peppered Pecorino"), to which black peppercorns are added. Today many other additions are made, for example walnuts,

rocket A rocket (from it, rocchetto, , bobbin/spool) is a vehicle that uses jet propulsion to accelerate without using the surrounding air. A rocket engine produces thrust by reaction to exhaust expelled at high speed. Rocket engines work entirely fr ...

, or tiny pieces of white or black truffle. In Sardinia, the larvae of the cheese fly are intentionally introduced into pecorino sardo to produce a local delicacy called

casu martzu (; literally 'rotten/putrid cheese'), sometimes spelled , and also called , and in Sardinian, is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese that contains live insect larvae (maggots). A variation of this cheese exists also in Corsica (Franc ...

, which means "rotten cheese". As it is illegal, casu marzu is primarily sold through the black market. Meals may be finished with a good pecorino stagionato, served with pears and walnuts or drizzled with strong chestnut honey. Pecorino is also often used to finish pasta dishes, and used to be the natural choice for most Italian regions from Umbria down to Sicily, rather than the more expensive

Parmigiano-Reggiano Parmesan ( it, Parmigiano Reggiano; ) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cows’ milk and aged at least 12 months. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (''Parmigiano'' i ...

. It is still preferred today for the pasta dishes of Rome and Lazio, for example pasta dressed with sugo all'amatriciana,

cacio e pepe Cacio e pepe () is a pasta dish from the cuisine of the city of Rome.Boni (1930), p. 46 '' Cacio e pepe'' means "cheese and pepper" in several central Italian dialects. In keeping with its name, the dish contains grated Pecorino Romano chees ...

, and pasta alla Gricia.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Italian cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses Cuisine of Abruzzo

Overview

Tradition

See also

References

External links