Tuma or Toma is a stage in the production of
Pecorino
Pecorino is an Italian hard cheese produced from sheep's milk. The name derives from , which means ' sheep' in Italian.
Overview
Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have protected designation of origin (PDO) status under ...
cheese, which comes before salting and
maturation. By extension, it also indicates cheese that is consumed or commercialized at this stage of production.
In a broader sense, it can refer to
fresh cheese
There are many different types of cheese, which can be grouped or classified according to criteria such as: length of fermentation, texture, production method, fat content, animal source of the milk, and country or region of origin. These criter ...
made of
ewe's milk,
cow's milk
Milk is a white liquid food produced by the mammary glands of lactating mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals (including breastfed human infants) before they are able to digest solid food. Milk contains many nutr ...
or a mixture. Originally Tuma was only made from ewe's milk, but nowadays the usage of cow's milk is generally accepted.
The four stages of maturation of the Pecorino cheese are:
* Tuma (directly from the curd)
*
Primosale (addition of salt and maturation for one month)
*
Secondo sale (maturation for at least another four months)
* Pecorino stagionato (any maturation period longer than five-six months)
Cheese products can be consumed at any of those stages and are usually referred to by the last stage completed.
Tuma is a typical product of southern Italy, especially Sicily, being particularly common in the interior areas. Since it is produced from the
curd
Curd is obtained by Denaturation (biochemistry), coagulating milk in a sequential process called curdling. It can be a final dairy product or the first stage in cheesemaking. The coagulation can be caused by adding rennet, a Kefir cheese, ...
without the addition of salt, it has to be consumed within one or, at most, two weeks or it will
spoil.
In
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
,
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
and
the Aosta Valley there is a type of cheese, produced with different methods, that has a similar name: ''tomme'' or ''Tome'' in French and ''tuma'' or ''toma'' in the local dialect.
See also
*
List of Italian cheeses
References
Elenco e descrizione dei prodotti derivati dal latte riconosciuti come tradizionalidalla
Regione siciliana e allegato all
Gazzetta Ufficiale della Regione Siciliana, Palermo, Sabato 6 febbraio 1999, N. 6
* Luigi Cremona e Francesco Soletti
''L'Italia dei formaggi: 490 formaggi Dop e tradizionali, 360 produttori con vendita diretta, 517 negozi specializzati, ristoranti ed enoteche con degustazione'' Guida Touring, Touring Editore, 2002, {{ISBN, 8836527272, p. 125
Italian cheeses
Sheep's-milk cheeses