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Pecorino cheese - an Italian specialty
Tuscany is famous worldwide for its wine and olive oil, however,
the people of Tuscany have lots of other food products to be
proud of. One of the best things that are made Tuscany is the
Pecorino cheese. The Pecorino is made of ewe's milk (pecora in
Italian means sheep), and is also typical of more southern
regions of Italy.
The Pecorino used to be considered a simple peasant's food, and
was eaten as a snack with some bread and wine. Now it has become
part of the best kitchens in Italy.
Pecorino types vary by the area of production, degree of
ripeness and the way they were treated. The new Pecorino ripens
for about 2-4 weeks. It is mild, and not very hard. The center
of it can be creamy. The medium is sold after two months of
ripening. As it ripens the taste gets sharper and the cheese is
harder. Very ripe Pecorino that has matured for six months is
usually used for grating over dishes, the same way Parmesan is
used.
The different colors of the cheese depend on the way the crust
was treated while the cheese was ripening. Some producers use
tomato concentrate, so the color becomes red. This is usually a
sign of cheese from the area of Siena. Others use edible
charcoal to give the cheese grey - black color. If the cheese
was placed in walnut leaves while ripening, it is brown.
Other areas of Italy have more ways of treating the cheese, such
as burying it in trenches filled with special ashes.
The Tuscany Pecorino is protected by DOP council - something
like DOC for wine. It makes sure that only cheese that comes
from the right
area and the right process is sold as Pecorino
Toscano.
The taste of the Pecorino is strongly influenced by the diet of
the sheep, so the herds are allowed to feed in large areas full
of herbs that give the cheese a special flavor depending on the
area.
The Pecorino cheese is produced in Tuscany from December to
August. The best areas in Tuscany for Pecorino are near Siena,
in the Maremma, and in Chianti near Cortona and Casentino.
So - Which Pecorino is the best? All the experts agree that the
best pecorino does not come from Tuscany, but from Lazio (the
area of Rome) it is called Pecorino Romano. The Pecorino Romano
is a cooked cheese that matures for at least 8 months, and
contains 36% fat. It has a strong salty flavor, and it is a hard
cheese.
This article will not be complete without a recipe:
Leek with Pecorino and olive oil
Ingredients: 8 leeks, olive oil, 5 tbsp. grated Pecorino
Preparation: Clean the leeks and leave only the white part. In a
pan, cover the leeks with olive oil and cook on a very low heat,
not allowing to boil. After about an hour remove the leeks from
the pot and cool. Cut each leek lengthwise into 4 sticks.
Separate the leaves, put on a plate and sprinkle with the
cheese.
About the author:
Rachel Deutsch is the owner of
http://www.dream-vacation-in-Tuscany.com . Rachel believes that
food is an important part of the traveling experience, so the
Italian cooking section of the site:
http://www.dream-vacation-in-tuscany.com/Italian_cooking.html
keeps growing.
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