Pecorino Siciliano

Appearance & taste

Pecorino Siciliano is a cylindrical wheel with flat sides, slightly concave on larger wheels, on whose surface the imprints of the basket in which it was made can be seen. Wheels of the “Fresco” and “Semistagionato” types are 10 to 20 cm in diameter and 10 to 20 cm high and weigh 3 to 5 kg; the “Stagionato” is 15 to 30 cm in diameter, 15 to 25 cm high and weighs 6 to 14 kg. All contain at least 40 % fat in dry matter.

The “Fresco” has no rind but a white or straw-yellow outer layer; its paste is white or straw-yellow, that of the “Semistagionato” straw-yellow to deep yellow under a light, straw-yellow rind. Both are compact with only a few holes and sometimes contain black peppercorns. The specification describes their taste as sweet with a marked pasture aroma and no barn aroma; in the “Pepato” type for sale it is slightly spicy. The “Stagionato” has a yellowish rind, a straw-yellow, compact paste and a characteristically spicy taste. The smell of all of them is typical of sheep’s cheese.

Every wheel bears the producer’s mark and a casein stamp as a mark of origin, the “Stagionato” also a brand. Pre-packed pieces must include part of the wheel’s edge or side. The name “Pecorino Siciliano” may not be translated.

Production

Raw whole milk from sheep of various breeds and crosses is processed. The sheep graze on natural or cultivated pastures and receive fresh fodder, hay and straw; at least 80 % of the dry matter of hay and straw comes from Sicily. Cereals, pulses and concentrates may be added. Clover, tapioca and cassava are excluded as feed, and silage and haylage are prohibited.

The milk is curdled with rennet from the abomasum of milk-fed lambs; the rennet must be obtained in the area. According to the specification, this rennet paste from Sicilian lambs gives the cheese a particular enzymatic composition that shapes its aromas. The cheese is semi-cooked and made with traditional equipment, partly of wood. All production steps take place in Sicily.

Origin & history

The interior of Sicily consists of rugged hills of clay, chalk and limestone. In the far west and on the Aegadian Islands clay and sandstone soils predominate, on the Aeolian Islands, Ustica and Pantelleria volcanic soils; the plains are fertile alluvial land with a high potassium content. The pastures are rich in wild plants and local ecotypes. The climate is Mediterranean with many microclimates: the coasts are hot and dry, the interior temperate and humid, and at higher altitudes there is plenty of rain, especially in winter.

Sheep farming and cheesemaking are an old tradition in Sicily. The sheep are still kept today in valley hollows that give them shelter. The specification sees the origin of the cheese in the fact that basically every sheep farmer made pecorino from his milk, using old methods and old wooden equipment: vats for curdling the milk and boards on which the wheels ripened.