The term "pecorino" refers to a variety of hard cheeses made from sheep's milk, produced in the central, southern, and insular regions of Italy. These types of cheese differ from each other in terms of their sensory characteristics and production methods. Despite the common name, Pecorino Romano is very different from Pecorino Sardo or Pecorino Toscano.
All three cheeses have ancient origins, dating back to the advent of agriculture, which allowed shepherds to graze their flocks freely where there were previously only forests and undergrowth. Another common characteristic of these three dairy products is that, along with Pecorino Siciliano and Pecorino Filiano, they are among the Italian products that the European Community has certified as Pecorino DOP (Protected Designation of Origin).
Pecorino Sardo has two variants: dolce (sweet) or maturo (mature). The former has a thin light-colored rind with a white or slightly straw-colored interior and a soft but compact texture, easily cut with a sharp knife. Its taste recalls the flavor of milk and is quite aromatic, with a maturation period ranging from 20 to 60 days. The mature Pecorino has a longer aging process, exceeding two months, which gives it a thicker, brown-colored rind and a paler interior with a strong and slightly spicy taste. The texture is crumbly, and as the aging progresses, it tends to chip more and more.
Pecorino Romano is a hard cheese with an ivory-colored rind, while the interior is compact and white. Its taste is characteristic and can be more or less pungent depending on the maturation, which lasts from a minimum of 5 months to a maximum of 8 months. The long aging process gives Pecorino Romano a particularly intense flavor and a texture ideal for grating.
Pecorino Toscano stands out for its tender or semi-hard texture and a decidedly delicate flavor, even in the aged variant. In fresh Pecorino, the rind is yellow, with a white or slightly straw-colored interior, and the taste is sweet and particularly fine. In the aged version, beyond 4 months, the rind takes on a yellowish hue, which darkens more and more with advancing maturation. The taste is intense but not spicy.
The DOP designation characterizes Pecorino Romano and Pecorino Toscano, two varieties that can also be produced outside their original territories, as long as they are within certain well-defined neighboring areas. This is because both the raw material and the processing allow for a similar product even just outside the native area. That's why it is possible to find DOP Pecorino Romano not only in the hills of the Tiber Valley but also in Sabina, and why a Pecorino di Picinisco, despite being made in the Frosinone area, can bear the DOP label.
The sheep's milk from the Roman countryside and the province of Latina, combined with mostly artisanal processing, guarantee a cheese typical of tradition.
The processing of pecorino starts with the milking of the sheep, and the milk is then either stored at 4°C or treated with temperatures between 68°C and 72°C (depending on whether raw or cooked milk pecorino is desired) until the actual processing begins. The milk obtained from milking is highly perishable, and improper preservation would lead to the premature formation of unwanted and harmful bacteria for the successful production of the cheese.
Next, the milk fat content needs to be adjusted through skimming, as to obtain a good pecorino and ensure optimal aging, it is necessary to remove part of the lipid component and increase the protein content.
At this point, the milk undergoes maturation, left to rest to promote the spontaneous multiplication of beneficial natural bacterial flora for acidification.
This process, known as "natural inoculation," often involves the addition of a manually inoculated biological starter to reinforce the process.
With the proliferation of bacteria, the protein casein coagulates, forming a network that retains the fats, while the liquid component of the milk, the whey, is excluded.
The pecorino fermenting agents alone are not sufficient to trigger lactic coagulation, which is why rennet must be added.
This process, carried out at a temperature of 38-40°C, results in curds. As with any other type of cooked or semi-cooked cheese, after breaking the curds, thermal treatment is necessary.
The cooking, combined with the agitation of the curds, allows for the dehydration of the mass, which further aggregates and expels excess whey. It also selects the thermophilic bacteria beneficial for aging. The broken curd is then pressed, and what remains is one large block, which is cut into several pieces and then left to mature in special molds to achieve pasta acidification.
After cooling, the cheese is branded and salted before being placed to mature in cool and fairly humid environments. For some types of cheese, "special" places may be used, such as in the case