Pecorino romano

Pecorino Romano
Country of origin	Italy
Region, town	Sardinia, Lazio, and Province of Grosseto (Tuscany)
Source of milk	Sheep
Pasteurised	Yes
Texture	hard and very crumbly
Aging time	5 months or more
Certification	Certification PDO 1996

Pecorino Romano (Italian pronunciation: [pekoˌriːno roˈmaːno]) is a hard, salty Italian cheese, often used for grating, made out of sheep's milk (the Italian word pecora, from which the name derives, means sheep). 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. Most of its production occurs in Sardinia. On the first of May, Roman families traditionally eat pecorino with fresh fava beans during a daily excursion in the Roman Campagna. It is mostly used in Central and Southern Italy.

Pecorino Romano cheese, whose method of production was first described by Latin authors such as Varro and Pliny the Elder about 2,000 years ago, was first created in the countryside around Rome. Its long-term storage capacity led to it be used for marching Roman legions' rations. A daily ration of 27 grams was established to be given to the legionaries, as a supplement to the bread and farro soup. This cheese gave back strength and vigour to tired soldiers, giving them a high-energy food that was easy to digest. It was produced in Latium up to 1884 when, due to the prohibition issued by the city council of salting the cheese inside their shops in Rome, many producers moved to the island of Sardinia.

It is produced exclusively from the milk of sheep raised on the plains of Lazio and in Sardinia. Most of the cheese is now produced on the island, especially in Gavoi. Pecorino Romano must be made with lamb rennet paste derived exclusively from animals raised in the same production area, and is therefore not compatible with vegetarianism.

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Wikipedia