Patrick Oconnell
Pecorino is a traditional Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. It has a robust, sharp, and salty flavour, with a strong taste that can be almost spicy. The most well-known variety, Pecorino Romano, is often grated over pasta dishes and has a hard, dry texture. Other varieties include Pecorino Toscano, which has a milder, buttery, and slightly sweet flavour, and Pecorino Siciliano from Sicily. Pecorino is a versatile ingredient used in various Italian recipes, including pasta dishes, risotto, and salads.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Taste | Salty, nutty, sharp, intense, robust, tangy, slightly spicy, sheep-y |
| Texture | Hard, dense, crumbly, oily |
| Colour | Vanilla-white, yellowish-white, pale yellow |
| Crystals | Yes |
| Type of milk | Sheep's milk |
| Region | Lazio and Sardinia, Italy |
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What You'll Learn
Pecorino Romano is salty and sharp
Pecorino Romano is one of the oldest types of Pecorino cheese, made from sheep's milk in the Lazio region of Italy. It is known for its sharp, salty, and intense flavour. The cheese is aged for around 8 to 12 months, developing a hard texture and a bold taste. The longer ageing process results in a sharper taste, with a more pronounced flavour after 8 months or more. This variety of Pecorino cheese is often used grated in pasta dishes, providing a savoury contrast to sweeter accompaniments like figs or honey.
Pecorino Romano has a robust and versatile flavour that makes it a popular ingredient in various Italian recipes. Its sharp and salty notes can elevate the taste of pasta dishes, risotto, and salads. The cheese is also used in desserts, such as drizzling honey over it. When served at room temperature, Pecorino Romano exhibits beads of oil on its surface, known as "butterfat tears," which indicate the cheese is at the perfect temperature for consumption.
The salty and sharp characteristics of Pecorino Romano make it a popular substitute for Parmesan cheese. However, due to its heightened taste and saltiness, experts recommend using one-third less Pecorino Romano when substituting it for Parmesan in recipes. This versatile cheese can also be enjoyed on its own or paired with fruits and honey, making it a delightful addition to any meal.
Pecorino Romano is typically found in large cylinders, featuring a hard, yellow rind surrounding a yellowish-white interior. This variety of Pecorino cheese is the most widespread and well-known, renowned for its intense and bold flavour. Its salty and sharp taste can be attributed to the careful production process, which involves coagulating sheep's milk into curds and whey, moulding and pressing the curds, and then ageing the cheese for several months.
Pecorino Romano's sharp and salty flavour is a testament to the rich history and craftsmanship behind this beloved Italian cheese. Its versatility in the kitchen, paired with its intense and bold taste, makes it a favourite among cheese enthusiasts and pasta lovers worldwide. Whether grated over pasta or enjoyed on its own, Pecorino Romano adds a savoury kick to any dish.
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Pecorino Toscano has a milder, buttery, sweet taste
Pecorino is a type of cheese made from sheep's milk. While the most well-known variety, Pecorino Romano, is known for being salty and sharp, Pecorino Toscano is milder, with a buttery, sweet taste.
Pecorino Toscano has been produced in northern Italy for centuries, and its recipe has remained largely unchanged. Pliny the Elder described it in his 1st-century CE work Naturalis Historia, calling it Lunense after the historical territory of Lunigiana, which is now part of Tuscany and Liguria. In the 15th century, it was known as Marzolino, as production traditionally began in March.
Pecorino Toscano is famous in the cheese world, as nearly every village in Tuscany makes its own unique rendition, all based on the same recipe. The cheese is typically made from September to June, and it can be sold fresh and soft, with a yellow rind, or firm and ripened, with a brown-red rind. The fresh variety has a delicate taste of butter and hay, while the ripened version has a more intense flavour.
Pecorino Toscano is a nutty cheese, with notes of toasted cashews, hay, and a hint of lemon. It pairs well with honey and pears, and it can be grated over pasta or melted on toast with fresh tomatoes.
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Pecorino is made from sheep's milk
Pecorino is a traditional Italian cheese made from sheep's milk. It is known for its robust, sharp, and intense flavour, with salty notes. The name "pecorino" comes from the Italian word for sheep, "pecora". The cheese-making process involves coagulating sheep's milk into curds and whey, moulding and pressing the curds to remove excess moisture, and then ageing the cheese. The ageing process for pecorino varies depending on the type being produced, with some varieties aged for a minimum of 5 months, while others are aged for 8-12 months or more.
Pecorino is a hard, dense, and granular cheese with a high moisture content, which gives it a longer shelf life compared to softer cheeses. It is often compared to Parmesan, another hard and dense cheese, but pecorino has a stronger, saltier, and nuttier flavour. When grated, pecorino has a more pronounced flavour, making it a popular choice for grating over pasta dishes such as cacio e pepe or carbonara. It is also used in salads, risottos, and even desserts, where it pairs well with sweeter accompaniments like figs or honey.
Pecorino Romano, one of the oldest and most widespread varieties of pecorino, is known for its sharp, salty, and intense flavour. It is produced in the Lazio and Sardinia regions of Italy and is typically aged for 8-12 months to develop its hard texture and bold taste. Another well-known variety is Pecorino Toscanello, or Pecorino Toscano, which originates from Tuscany and has a milder, buttery, and slightly sweet flavour. This variety is often enjoyed on its own or paired with cured meats, fruits, and honey.
The production process and ageing methods for pecorino are carefully controlled to ensure the cheese maintains its quality and authenticity. The high butterfat content in sheep's milk makes pecorino an oily cheese, with "butterfat tears" forming on the surface as it reaches room temperature. These oils indicate that the cheese is at the perfect temperature for eating. Pecorino is not only delicious but also easier to digest than some other cheeses, making it a popular choice for those with lactose intolerance.
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Pecorino is a versatile ingredient used in many Italian recipes
Pecorino Romano is a hard, dry cheese that is perfect for grating. It is typically aged for around 8-12 months, during which time it develops a hard texture and a bold, intense flavour. The longer ageing time results in a sharper taste, while a more mild flavour is achieved with a shorter maturation period of 5 months or less. When Pecorino comes to room temperature, beads of oil may appear on the cheese – these "butterfat tears" indicate that the cheese is at the perfect temperature for eating.
Pecorino is a versatile cheese that can be used in a variety of dishes, including pasta, risotto, salads, and even desserts. Its bold flavour can elevate the taste of a dish, and it pairs well with sweet accompaniments like figs, honey, cured meats, and fruits. It is also a favourite choice for cheese boards, as its salty notes offer a savoury contrast to sweeter items.
Another well-known variety of Pecorino is Pecorino Toscanello, which originates from the Tuscany region of Italy. This variety has a milder, slightly sweet flavour with a buttery taste. It is often enjoyed on its own or paired with fruits and honey, and it is a versatile option for antipasti platters or wine pairings. Pecorino Toscanello is aged for a minimum of 20 days, resulting in a delicate flavour profile and a slightly sweet finish.
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Pecorino is an intense, robust, and bold cheese
Pecorino is a bold, intense, and robust cheese. It is traditionally produced in Italy using sheep's milk, with the name "pecorino" stemming from the Italian word for sheep, "pecora". The cheese-making process involves coagulating sheep's milk into curds and whey by adding rennet. The curds are then moulded and pressed to remove excess moisture, and the cheese is aged for varying periods, depending on the type of pecorino being produced.
Pecorino Romano, the most widespread variety, is known for its sharp, intense, and salty flavour. It is often used grated over pasta dishes such as cacio e pepe or carbonara. The salty notes in Pecorino Romano also make it a great addition to cheese boards, offering a savoury contrast to sweeter accompaniments like figs or honey. Pecorino Romano is typically aged for around 8-12 months, resulting in a hard texture and bold taste.
Pecorino Toscano, or Pecorino Toscanello, originating from the Tuscany region of Italy, has a milder, buttery, and slightly sweet flavour. It pairs well with cured meats and fruits, making it a versatile option for antipasti platters or wine pairings. This variety is aged for a minimum of 20 days, resulting in a delicate flavour profile with a slightly sweet finish.
Pecorino is a versatile ingredient that can be used in various Italian recipes. Its bold and intense flavour elevates the taste of pasta dishes, risotto, and salads. When combined with the right ingredients, Pecorino has the potential to transform dishes, offering a delightful dining experience.
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Frequently asked questions
Pecorino is a salty, sharp, and robust sheep's milk cheese. It has a strong, nutty, and slightly tangy flavor.
Pecorino Romano is the most well-known type of Pecorino and has a sharper, more intense flavor than other varieties. It is also known for its salty notes.
Pecorino and Parmesan are both hard, dense cheeses with similar appearances. However, Pecorino has a stronger taste than Parmesan, and is made from sheep's milk rather than cow's milk.
