Pecorino Romano

Appearance & taste

Pecorino Romano is sold as a tall cylinder with a flat top and bottom. Its rind is naturally ivory or straw-coloured. It may be coated with a food-grade coating in neutral, black or brown. The paste is compact or has a few small holes and, depending on how it is made, is white to straw-yellow.

As a table cheese it tastes aromatic and slightly sharp. With longer ripening it becomes sharp and intense. It is sold as a whole wheel, grated or in pieces, with or without the rind.

The name is embossed all around the side of the wheel with the consortium’s marking stamp. Next to it is the official mark, a diamond with the stylised head of a sheep above the name. A small square gives the province of origin, the code of the milk producer and the year and month of production. If the cheese is made entirely in one region, the label may say so as well: “Pecorino Romano from Lazio”, “made in Sardinia” or “made in Grosseto”.

Production

The milk comes from sheep on farms in the area of origin. At least half of the dry matter of their feed must come from the area each year. The specification explains why not all of the feed has to come from there with the weather of recent years: heavy rain has spoilt hay, and great heat has reduced the fodder harvest. The milk may be heat-treated and inoculated with natural lactic acid cultures from the area.

Milk production, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area of origin. Table cheese and cheese for further processing ripen for at least five months, grating cheese for at least eight.

“Riserva” is the name for a Pecorino Romano that has ripened for at least 18 months. It may only be made between December and March and may contain at most 4 % salt after ripening. During ripening it may be wrapped in a protective covering so that the rind stays edible.

Origin & history

In the area of origin, dairy animals have been kept on pasture since Roman antiquity. Even then, this tradition was known far beyond the Mediterranean. According to the specification, ancient authors such as Columella, Virgil, Varro and Pliny the Elder already described the forerunner of today’s cheese.

Climate and soils have created pastureland on which sheep have grazed since prehistoric times. Today the animals still spend most of their time outdoors. Pasture farming has shaped the landscape and society of the regions and has become their most important economic base there.