Pecorino

Pecorino (from the Italian pecora, sheep ' ) is an Italian cheese that was originally made ​​from pure sheep's milk. Today there are also cheaper varieties, which cow's milk or goat's milk is added.

With Pecorino is a collective term for various sheep's milk cheese. Each region of Italy knows their own variants of the pecorino, some of them can look back on a long history; four types are with their respective names as a protected designation of origin special protection and are well defined.

History

The pecorino romano from the central Italian Lazio was part of the food ration for Roman legionnaires already over 2000 years ago. Later, the art of making was also extended to other areas, so that " romano " now more refers to the design, while only a smaller part of the cheese from the region of Rome comes and larger amounts from other regions, especially from Sardinia, as well as the younger Pecorino sardo. Also on Sicily Pecorini be gekäst since Greek times. Some cheaper cow's milk cheese is mixed with pure sheep's milk cheeses have the suffix tutto di latte di pecora or pecora completo. 1955 received two varieties ( pecorino romano and pecorino siciliano ) the DOP seal and thus origin protection, then in 1986 the pecorino toscano and finally 1991 the Sardinian pecorino. For these four (see " Variants " ) applies throughout Europe the PDO protection since 1996. Since Pecorino is alone not a protected name, you can find today so call end Pecorino from Germany and many other countries in the market.

Production and Properties

Pecorino is made from raw milk, the rennet is added from kids and lamb stomachs heated to 36 to 38 ° C milk. The clotting time is three quarters of an hour. Then the curd is cut and varies strongly heated, the curd depending on cheese variant and stirred vigorously until it has made enough whey to then pour the product into special basket forms, where the dough together grows and cares for the later characteristic basket footprint pattern. Now the Rohkäselaibe are dipped in heated whey and finally pulled to extend shelf life by boiling brine or salted dry.

Pecorino is fresh, medium ripe and matured traded, at a maturity period of three months to one year. The compact dough, which may include partial small holes, the fresh cheese white and pale yellow after ripening. Also darkens the original straw yellow rind gradually with time. The loaves usually weigh about two kilograms. The young, "fresh" cheese is comparatively soft and tastes very mild; the older and more mature he gets, the harder the consistency and the more intense and spicy flavor will be. Allen Pecorinos together is a nutty note and the lemony spice of sheep cheese. Flavor and properties are not unlike the Parmigiano Reggiano, which is, however, made ​​from cow's milk.

In the production of Pecorino remain around 90 percent whey, resulting ricotta is made.

Variants

There are numerous varieties of pecorino. Originally it was made from pure sheep's milk, recognizable by the addition pecora completo di latte di tutto or pecora. Furthermore, we obtain Pecorino in various stages of maturity, on the other hand, there are several regional variants, such as a Sardinian cheese variant, smoked or brushed with tomato paste types, other varieties of cheese are oiled and rubbed with charcoal.

Pecorino romano DOP

This cheese has a long tradition. It tastes aromatic and very spicy. The dough is white or parchment color with dense, heavy structure and thin, elastic, white or brown bark. An old, aged pecorino romano by then extremely tight and traversed by typical cheese crystals, he can taste pronounced spicy and salty. In the 18th century emigrated cheese masters brought the recipe for the production to Sardinia, since the largest amount of Romano is gekäst there. Romano is equally appreciated as a table - like than grated cheese.

Pecorino Sardo DOP

Pecorino Sardo DOP, after Romano Fiore Sardo and the third major sheep's milk cheese from the island of Sardinia, is relatively young. Made from raw milk or semi cotto (this is used to extend the shelf life of the young cheese dipped briefly in a bath with boiling brine ) it is traded in two types: as dolce with green label it matures shorter and has a soft dough, fresh it is eaten as table cheese or used it in the kitchen; as maturo with blue label it matures longer and is sometimes smoked in addition, is relatively hard, salty and dry with a tough, yellowish-white bark. This guy is an excellent grating cheese. Besides the two official versions, there is the so-called " Casu Marzu ", literally, spoiled / rotten cheese ', an overripe type of Pecorino Sardo, the living maggots contains and applies to Sardinia as a particular specialty. The sale of this cheese was a long time illegal because it was feared that diseases could be transmitted by the fly eggs and the resulting larvae hatching maggots feed on the cheese and ferment it with their droppings. Only since 2005, the cheese is enabled again, the members necessary for manufacturing fly now must be germ-free (which means they may not have come into contact with feces or waste ) and the cheese is enriched with bacteria that favor the growth of maggots.

Pecorino siciliano, DOP

The cheese was already known in the Greek period in Sicily. After 4-8 months' duration maturity of the raw milk cheese has a hard, compact dough with intense flavor. Depending on the place of manufacture it arises in different subspecies, most of which are equally suitable for the table as the kitchen. The bark is yellowish white with embossed seal of the master cheese. Young and unsalted it is called Tuma, this guy is enjoyed on the first day after preparation, is quite soft and creamy and tastes very delicious. After salting, it is called Primo Sale, towards the end of up to two years of maturity one calls him Canistratu (also canestrato or Incanestrato ) according to the typical form and pattern that emerges through the baskets (Italian Canestre ) in which it matures he then tastes very spicy and salty - sharp. Another long -ripened pecorino siciliano is the type of Tumazzu, in this case, the cheese is additionally mixed with peppercorns or saffron to emphasize the characteristic pungent flavor yet.

Pecorino Toscano DOP

Pecorino Toscano DOP goes back to Etruscan art of cheese and is used today mainly from Tuscany and the provinces of Perugia and Viterbo. For the lovers of this cheese supposedly already included Pope Pius III. and Lorenzo de Medici. The maturity period is between just 20 days for the type tenero to 4 months for the type a pasta dura. Depending on the dough is soft to semi-hard, white- yellowish color and firm structure. Its pleasant intense and very characteristic fragrance different from the sharp spice of the other Pecorino, he always tastes, even after long ripening, soft and almost sweet with hints of spice. Its bark is parchment yellow colors in shades of golden yellow to. It is usually young and barely matured if it is almost creamy, enjoyed as a table cheese, but can age just as well and are used as grated cheese.

More

• Pecorino fresco has a unripened white dough is rather crumbly and tastes quite mild and fine - sour.
• Pecorino Senese, also from Tuscany is brushed with tomato puree.
• Pecorino di Filiano

Use

Depending on the maturation and type the Pecorino is a pleasure in many ways. Young pecorino is enough like as part of a cheese plate or consumed it with olive bread, radicchio and plum tomatoes as a snack. In Seadas he is part of a dessert. It is cut into slices often served with strips of sun-dried tomatoes and served with extra virgin olive oil drizzled. Matured Pecorino serves primarily as grated cheese and place in many dishes of the southern Italian kitchen use; be piquant flavor spices, among other fillings for mushrooms, tomatoes and other vegetables. A well-developed wine is a popular drink for all accompanying Pecorinos.