Pecorino romano

Not to be confused with Romano cheese.

Pecorino romano (Italian: [pekoˈriːno roˈmaːno]; lit. 'Roman pecorino') is a hard, salty Italian cheese made from sheep milk, often used for grating over pasta or other dishes. The name pecorino means 'ovine' or 'of sheep' in Italian; the name of the cheese, although protected, is a description rather than a brand: [formaggio] pecorino romano means 'sheep's [cheese] of Rome'.

Pecorino romano
Country of origin	Italy
Region	Lazio Sardinia Tuscany (province of Grosseto)
Source of milk	Sheep milk
Pasteurised	Yes
Texture	Hard and very crumbly
Aging time	5 months or more
Certification	PDO: 1996
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Although this variety of cheese originated in Lazio, most of its actual production has moved to the island of Sardinia.^[1] Pecorino romano is an Italian product with name recognised and protected (PDO) by the laws of the European Union.

Pecorino romano was a staple in the diet for the legionaries of ancient Rome. Today, it is still made according to the original recipe and is one of Italy's oldest cheeses. On the first of May (May Day), Roman families traditionally eat pecorino with fresh fava beans during an excursion in the Roman Campagna. It is mostly used in central and southern Italy.

Overview

A cheese variety of what might be considered the earliest form of today's pecorino romano was first created in the countryside around Rome, whose production methods are described by Latin authors such as Marcus Terentius Varro and Pliny the Elder about 2,000 years ago.^[2] Its long-term storage capacity led to it being used for feeding Roman legions. A daily ration of about 27 grams (1 Roman ounce) was allotted to the legionaries in addition to bread and farro soup. The cheese revived strength and vigour since it was a high-energy food that was easy to digest.^[3] It was produced only in the region surrounding Rome (Lazio) until the end of the 19th century. In 1884, the Roman city council prohibited salting the cheese in the grocers' shops in Rome, but this could not prevent the establishment of salting premises and cheesemaking premises on the outskirts of Rome or elsewhere in Lazio. Pressure to move production out of Lazio was in fact caused by a great increase in demand for the cheese, which the Lazio flocks could not satisfy. This led several producers to expand their production in Sardinia.^[3][4] Sardinia, which had been experiencing a severe reduction of its forest cover as a direct result of human activity, provided the Roman entrepreneurs with a type of soil that was ideal for the promotion of monoculture farming.^[5][6]

It is produced exclusively from the milk of sheep raised on the plains of Lazio and Sardinia. Nowadays, most of the cheese is produced on the island, especially in the comune (municipality) of Macomer. Pecorino romano must be made with lamb rennet from animals raised in the same production area,^[7] and is consequently not suitable for vegetarians.

Pecorino romano is often used on pasta dishes, as is Parmesan. Its distinctive flavour led to it being preferred for some Italian pasta dishes such as bucatini all'amatriciana, spaghetti alla carbonara, pasta alla gricia,^[8] and spaghetti alla cacio e pepe (of which it is a main ingredient). The cheese's sharpness is affected by its maturation, which varies from five months for a table cheese to eight months or longer for a grating cheese. Most pecorino cheeses are classified as grana and are granular, hard, and sharply flavoured.^[9]

See also

• Italy portal
• Food portal

• List of Italian cheeses
• List of Italian DOP cheeses – food with protected designation of origin status
• List of sheep milk cheeses
• List of ancient dishes
• Pecorino – hard Italian sheep's milk cheese