Pecorino Sardo
Encyclopedia
Pecorino sardo, also known as fiore sardo, is a firm cheese
from the Italian
island of Sardinia
which is made from sheep milk
: specifically from the milk of the local Sardinian breed. It was awarded Denominazione d'Origine status in 1991 and granted Protected designation of origin
(PDO) protection in 1996, the year in which this European Union certification scheme was introduced. Its flavour is different from that of the Pecorino Romano
, which is also made on the island. Sardo is richer while romano is much more biting and salty. Pecorino sardo is delicious in contexts where the romano could overpower, such as in pesto
—the Ligurian pesto alla genovese is traditionally made with a mixture of Pecorino sardo and Parmigiano-Reggiano—or with fruit.
Pecorino sardo is an uncooked hard cheese made from fresh whole sheep's milk curdled using lamb or kid rennet
. The mixture is poured into moulds that will give the cheese its characteristic shape. After a brief period in brine, the moulds are lightly smoked and left to ripen in cool cellars in central Sardinia. The average weight of the finished product is 3.5 kilos: sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less depending on the conditions of manufacture. The rind varies from deep yellow to dark brown in colour and encases a paste that varies from white to straw-yellow. The sharpness of the flavour depends on the length of maturation. It's most often found in the United States as a hard cheese, its more mature form.
Pecorino sardo is not as well known outside Italy as romano or Pecorino Toscano
, although a good deal of Pecorino Romano is actually made in Sardinia, as Sardinia is within Romano's PDO area. Pecorino sardo can be processed further into Casu marzu
by the introduction of cheese fly
maggot
s.
Cheese
Cheese is a generic term for a diverse group of milk-based food products. Cheese is produced throughout the world in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms....
from the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
island of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
which is made from sheep milk
Sheep milk
Sheep's milk is the milk of domestic sheep. Though not widely drunk in any modern culture, sheep's milk is commonly used to make cultured dairy products. Well-known cheeses made from sheep milk include the Feta of Greece, Roquefort of France, Manchego from Spain, the Pecorino Romano , the Pecorino...
: specifically from the milk of the local Sardinian breed. It was awarded Denominazione d'Origine status in 1991 and granted Protected designation of origin
Protected designation of origin
Protected Geographical Status is a legal framework defined in European Union law to protect the names of regional foods. Protected Designation of Origin , Protected Geographical Indication and Traditional Speciality Guaranteed are distinct regimes of geographical indications within the framework...
(PDO) protection in 1996, the year in which this European Union certification scheme was introduced. Its flavour is different from that of the Pecorino Romano
Pecorino Romano
Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty Italian cheese, suitable primarily for grating, made out of sheep milk . Pecorino Romano 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...
, which is also made on the island. Sardo is richer while romano is much more biting and salty. Pecorino sardo is delicious in contexts where the romano could overpower, such as in pesto
Pesto
Pesto is a sauce originating in Genoa in the Liguria region of northern Italy , and traditionally consists of crushed garlic, basil and pine nuts blended with olive oil and Parmigiano Reggiano and Fiore Sardo...
—the Ligurian pesto alla genovese is traditionally made with a mixture of Pecorino sardo and Parmigiano-Reggiano—or with fruit.
Pecorino sardo is an uncooked hard cheese made from fresh whole sheep's milk curdled using lamb or kid rennet
Rennet
Rennet is a complex of enzymes produced in any mammalian stomach to digest the mother's milk, and is often used in the production of cheese. Rennet contains many enzymes, including a proteolytic enzyme that coagulates the milk, causing it to separate into solids and liquid...
. The mixture is poured into moulds that will give the cheese its characteristic shape. After a brief period in brine, the moulds are lightly smoked and left to ripen in cool cellars in central Sardinia. The average weight of the finished product is 3.5 kilos: sometimes a bit more, sometimes a bit less depending on the conditions of manufacture. The rind varies from deep yellow to dark brown in colour and encases a paste that varies from white to straw-yellow. The sharpness of the flavour depends on the length of maturation. It's most often found in the United States as a hard cheese, its more mature form.
Pecorino sardo is not as well known outside Italy as romano or Pecorino Toscano
Pecorino Toscano
Pecorino Toscano is a firm-textured ewe’s milk cheese produced in Tuscany. Since 1996 it has enjoyed protected designation of origin status.-Ancient origins and current regional distribution:...
, although a good deal of Pecorino Romano is actually made in Sardinia, as Sardinia is within Romano's PDO area. Pecorino sardo can be processed further into Casu marzu
Casu marzu
Casu marzu is a traditional Sardinian sheep milk cheese, notable for containing live insect larvae...
by the introduction of cheese fly
Cheese fly
Cheese flies are members of the family Piophilidae of flies. Most are scavengers in animal products and fungi. The best-known member of the family is Piophila casei. It is a small fly, about four mm long, found worldwide. The fly's larva infests cured meats, smoked fish, cheeses, and decaying...
maggot
Maggot
In everyday speech the word maggot means the larva of a fly ; it is applied in particular to the larvae of Brachyceran flies, such as houseflies, cheese flies, and blowflies, rather than larvae of the Nematocera, such as mosquitoes and Crane flies...
s.
See also
- Sardo, an Argentine cheese
- PecorinoPecorinoPecorino is the name of a family of hard Italian cheeses made from ewe's milk. The word derives from pecora meaning ‘sheep’, also from the Latin pecora meaning livestock....
- List of Italian PDO cheeses