Pecorino

Pecorino is the Italian name for a family of hard cheeses made from sheep's milk, and the word comes from pecora, the Italian for sheep. Six main varieties carry protected designation of origin status under European Union law, among them pecorino romano, pecorino sardo, pecorino toscano, pecorino siciliano, pecorino di Filiano and pecorino crotonese, and each is tied to its own part of Italy. Pecorino romano is the best known outside the country and is mostly produced on Sardinia, although its zone also covers Lazio and parts of Tuscany. Ancient Roman writers described the cheese and how it was made, and Pliny the Elder attests pecorino toscano. Pecorino is sold at different stages of ageing: fresco and semi-stagionato wheels are soft with a mild, creamy taste, while stagionato wheels are harder and crumbly with buttery and nutty flavours. Variants include pecorino pepato, flavoured with black peppercorns, and the Sicilian red pecorino, whose rind is coated with olive oil and tomato sauce. In Sardinia the cheese is also the base for the banned casu martzu.