Pecorino Romano

Product A Denominazione di Origine Controllata cheese with a semi-cooked paste.

Milk The cheese is made entirely from the milk of ewes. The raw material is produced by several thousand farms, where the sheep are allowed to graze freely in natural pastures. The cheese is produced from November to June.

Origin The Agro Romano (the agricultural heartland in Latium of the city of Rome in ancient times) has been clearly identified as the zone of origin and accounts for the second half of the cheese's name, with the first indicating that sheep's milk is used in its production. It is now made throughout Latium as well as on Sardinia, which has been the leading production center since the last century.

Shape The cheese is cylindrical in shape with flat faces.

Form and Dimensions Forms range from 14 to 22 centimeters (5 1/2-8 3/4 inches) in height. The weight generally varies from 18 to 22 kilos (39.6-48.4 pounds) for the normal type and from 25 to 35 kilos (55-77 pounds) for the giant size.

Characteristics The rather granular paste is usually compact, has tiny pores and is white or straw-yellow in color. The crust is smooth and straw-yellow or more or less intense brown in color. The cheese has a fragrant aroma and it is usually piquant in flavor.

Aging or Ripening Ripening requires a great deal of time, as much as eight months.

Consumption Pecorino is a table cheese that is much appreciated for its forthright flavor. But it is also excellent when grated and used as an ingredient of many dishes.

Nutritional value The cheese features a high protein content and is also rich in fat-soluble vitamins A and D. It also contains a great deal of phosphorus and calcium.

Processing The freshly collected milk is carefully strained and poured into a caldron, where a natural culture of lactic yeasts is blended into it. Soon afterward, lamb rennet is added to the milk. After they have been broken up, the curds are heated to a temperature of about 45° (113° F.). The cheese is then put into the appropriate molds. Weights are put on the molds, which are laid out on grates. The cheeses are dry salted, a process that is repeated numerous times over a period of about two months.

History Pecorino is one of the world's oldest cheeses, since it was being produced in the early Roman Empire. The technique used by the ancient shepherds of Latium to make pecorino was described by numerous writers like Varro, Galen, Hypocrites and Pliny the Elder. In his book on agriculture, written in the 1st century, Columella provided a detailed description of how the cheese was made and reported that it was considered, even then, a major export item. Among the worthies of the ancient world who greatly appreciated pecorino was the famous poet Virgil. The cheese was so highly regarded that a ration of 27 grams (nearly one ounce) was distributed daily to each Roman legionnaire as part of his subsistence allowance.

Storage It is best to wrap the cheese is heavy paper and store it in the lower part of the refrigerator.

Gastronomy The cheese is an essential element of many typical preparations. In the spring in Latium, it is a traditional practice to consume the cheese along with home-made bread and fresh fava beans, accompanied by a good wine.