Pecorino Cheeses 2976

Pecorino
Cheeses
Italian
Making the most of Milk – Italian
Cheeseaholic
Cheeseaholic
Aidan Benbow
Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic
Table Of Contents
It’s all in a Name 4

Going Back and Forth 4
Something a little more Exotic 5
Other Meanings 6
Cow’s Cheese vs Sheep’s Cheese 8
The Makings of Pecorino Toscano 8
The Naming of Pecorino Toscano 10
The Using of Pecorino Toscano 12
The Final Verdict 13
An Im-pecorino Start 15
A step too far? 15
Who Would Have Thought of That! 16
A Dangerous Delicacy 16
Try it if You Dare! 17
The Abruzzo Region of Italy 18
A Flagship Cheese 18
The Final Touch 19
Vital Statistics 19
One Among Many 20
Not just another Pecorino 22
The Advantages of Park Life 23
The Final Product 23

The Proof of the Pudding 24

Mother Nature Beats Man-Made Design 24
Every Time
Not Just Another Brick in the Pecorino Wall 26
What’s so Special about del Sannio 27
The Nitty Gritty 28
The Not so Unexpected Ending 29
A Special Cheese Among Special Cheeses 29
A Different Way to Mature Cheese 30
Flies are Actually Good for Something! 30
Maggot Made Cheese 31
Other Types 32
The Final Word 32
Another Conundrum 34
The Final Straw 34
The Way Home 35
The Arrival 36

Cheese is what I’m all about. That might not sound like the most alluring
epitaph, but nevertheless it contains a ring of truth.
Cheese is something that we are all aware of; that we have an had different
experiences of, and probably have an opinion about. Here, I am referring to
cheese in the physical sense of a food substance made from milk, but
cheese can of course have different meanings, and these things could also
apply to those as well.
Cheese might not seem like the most interesting or important of topics, but
actually quite a lot can be said about it and learnt from it. Beauty is in the
eye of the beholder as they say!

It’s all in a Name

So, to begin with, where did the name cheese actually come from? As is
often the case in English, a good place to start looking for the origins of a
word is Latin. The Romans did many things to help in uence and shape the
world we live in, not least spreading around their language. Many words in
English have a connection to Latin and it would appear that Cheese is no
exception.
The Latin for Cheese was (and indeed still is!) ‘Caseus’. From this it seems
that the Old English word ‘Cese’ came, which gradually became ‘Chese’ and
nally, in modern in English, ‘Cheese’. It’s not hard to see how, over the years,
due to different in uences people gradually changed and developed their
pronunciation of this word. Even at my not so advanced age, I can observe
how the younger generation are transforming their use of the English
language. A few years ago someone thought it interesting that I was
unaware of the word ‘chav’ which apparently has become popular to
describe anti-social youth culture. Here, I won’t even mentioned people’s
indiscriminate and non-grammatical adhering use of the word good, or
frequent American Television inspired uses of awesome!
Anyway, linguistically frustrated digression aside, the Latin word ‘Caseus’ is

also the basis for the modern English word ‘Casein’ which means the type of
protein which makes up about 80% of milk protein and, in other words, is
then essentially what cheese is made out of.
Going Back and Forth

Travelling even further back in time to before the Romans, it is believed that
there was an ancient root word, ‘Kwat’ which meant ‘to ferment or to sour’. It
is not hard to see how this could have become ‘Caseus’ in Latin in terms of
the aforementioned vocabulary metamorphosis from generation to
generation and ,indeed, from culture to culture. But also, in terms of
meaning, it’s easy to see why this word would have been chosen for cheese
as it describes well the process of cheesemaking (cheese being the product
of milk that has been fermented with enzymes or soured with acid).

Moving on in time, the Romans found different techniques to take very

simple, basic cheeses produced by curdling milk, what we might call ‘Fresh’
or ‘Soft’ cheeses today, and mature them to make hard, long life cheeses,
along the lines of today’s ‘Parmesan’. These cheeses were particularly useful
for taking on long journeys as they lasted a long time before going off, and so
were in demand for soldiers’ rations. A new name developed for them,
‘Caseus Formatus’. The ‘Formatus’ referred to the fact that the cheese had
been formed into a solid block that could be kept for a long time.
In modern languages, the word for cheese often re ects one of these two
Latin names for cheese. As mentioned, we have ‘Cheese’ in English as well as
‘Kaese’ in German and ‘Cacio’ in Italian. These come from the caseus root. On
the other hand, we have “Fromage’ in French and the more standard Italian
name for cheese of ‘Formaggio’. These evidently derive from the formatus
root.
Something a little more Exotic

A lot could be said about the names for cheese in different languages.
However, life (in this world at least) is short and so we will move on, although
not before making one more remark on this topic.
Less known languages are often considered exotic. One such language is
Romanian. It is actually spoken by quite a lot of people, estimates of up to 30
million including rst and second language speakers (I myself adding a one
to the second language speakers total). Nevertheless, most of them live in,
or around, Romania and so it is not a widely known language outside of this
area.
In any case, Romanian is a language which adheres to the already discussed

ideas of having a word for cheese contacted to Latin. This word is ‘Cas’, which
is comes from caesus. These are usually yellowy, partially matured, soft-
medium cheeses and are actually often referred to as ‘Cascaval’, the ‘caval’
bit referencing their rotund nature.

There is, however, a second word used generally to mean cheese, although it
tends in everyday parlance to refer to white, soft, fresh cheeses, as a
distinction from the slightly harder, more matured cascavals. This word is
‘Branza’. As you can see, it doesn’t appear to be related to the Latin
‘Formatus’. Indeed, it seems to have an uncertain origin, either being derived
from the name of a place or from the name of a case used for putting the
freshly extracted cheese curd into, in order to drain off excess liquid.
Other Meanings
Over the years, the word cheese has taken on meanings other than
preserved milk solid. Indeed, with the rise of the health and alternative food
industry, the term cheese can now be used for many food products that are
cheese like in nature. Tofu, for example, can be called ‘Bean cheese’ due to
the fact that the method used to obtain it is not dissimilar to that of curdling
milk and the resulting product is cheese like in it’s consistency and even in
some of its uses.
Another use of the word is in the expression ‘The Big Cheese’. In this sense,
cheese means someone who is well developed in his eld; a leader or
important person in their domain. This is analogous to cheese as being a
product that can be well formed over time, which is the case for hard
cheeses that have been matured for a long time.
Cheese can also mean something lacking in quality or overly sentimental,

such as it was a cheesy magic show or a cheesy grin.
And, of course, let us not forget another very common use of the word, so
much so that it is even known internationally, that of making children and
grown ups alike smile for photographs. Say cheese!
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cheese
https://dexonline.ro/intrare/brânză/6747

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic
Parmesan cheese, more correctly called Parmigano Reggiano, is considered

by many to be the king of cheeses. This could well be to with the fact that it
has many qualities. In particularly, it comes in different forms depending on
how long it has been aged and so has many different uses.
It’s no surprise than that many attempts have been made to copy this
cheese to capitalise on it’s success. Indeed, so much so, that Parmesan has
become a generic name for all these counterfeit cheeses and real Parmesan
is actually the aforementioned Parmigano Reggiano.
This all being said there are other types of Italian cheese that can be used as
an alternative to Parmesan. One of these is Pecorino Toscano.

Cow’s Cheese vs Sheep’s Cheese

Parmigano Reggiano is traditionally made out of milk from cows. However,
by de nition Pecorino Toscano is made from sheep’s milk (Pecora being the
Italian word for sheep).
Obviously, the type of milk that a cheese is made from in uences greatly the
taste of the nal product (especially seeing as cheese is in essence a one
ingredient product!). Certainly, a difference in taste can be detected
between Parmigano Reggiano and Pecorino Toscano.
This difference is most pronounced in less well matured versions, where, as is

often the case for sheep’s milk cheeses, the Pecorino cheese has a stronger,
more tangy avour compared to it’s cow’s milk counterpart.
This difference (in my opinion at least!) doesn’t disqualify Pecorino Toscano

though as an able substitute for Parmigano Reggiano. It has many qualities
to endear itself, and in the mature version at least, a certain similarity to
Parmigano Reggiano. Indeed, by the time the two cheeses have matured
the taste, not to mention the consistency of the cheeses have become
similar.
The Makings of Pecorino Toscano

The process for making Pecorino Toscano is not dissimilar to that for making
Parmigano Reggiano, although that is not surprising as in essence the
process for making most medum to hard cheeses is similar and indeed it is
usually just the differences in nuances that give rise to the wide variety of
cheeses available.
As a rule pasteurised milk is used for safety reasons as it kills off potentially
harmful bacteria. (Some small-scale cheesemakers prefer to use raw milk as
the extra bacteria can add to the taste of the nal product, but it is hard to
nd such raw milk cheeses on sale in the common market).
Liquid calf’s rennet is added to the milk, which has been heated to between
35 and 38 degrees celsius. This causes the milk to coagulate in around 25
minutes.

The next stage has two variations depending on the nal product desired.
The solid curd produced by coagulation can be broken up into hzel-nut
sized lumps if a softer nal cheese is intended. (The bigger lumps allow more
moisture to be retained). Alternatively, if a semi-hard cheese is wanted, the
curd can be broken into smaller pieces, and maybe reheated. This is to expel
more moisture from the curd, aiding the drying and maturing process. With
Parmigano Reggiano usually only long term matured cheeses are produced,
so the curd at this stage is normally broken up into small rice granule sized
pieces.
For Pecorino Toscano, the curd is then put into cheese hoops and then
pressed manually, or by steam treatment, for between 30 minutes and three
and a half hours. This expels even more moisture.
A little look at another type of Pecorino Cheese!

The curd is then immersed in a salt solution for 8 hours for soft Pecorino and
12 to 14 hours for the harder version.
The nal stage of the manufacturing process is to leave the cheese in a cellar
at 8-10 degrees celsius and humidity of 80-90%. For softer cheeses, twenty
days is enough to mature it. Harder cheeses require at least four months.

A side on slice of Pecorino Toscano
The Naming of Pecorino Toscano

Pecorino Toscano has only actually been called this since after the Second
World War. Over the years it has had something of an identity crisis.
In ancient times it seems to have been called Lunense, or at least the

version of it made in the area of Lunigiana described by an ancient author,
Pliny the Elder.
Later on in history, it would appear that the cheese took on the name of
Marzolino, which re ected the fact that production used to begin in the
month of March.

Interestingly, Bartolomeo Platina in 1475 compared Marzolino cheese to

Maggnego, another name for Parmesan cheese, this one refelecting the fact
some Parmesan was made in May, and saying that these two cheeses
compete for sumpremacy amongst Italian cheeses.
Finally, up until fairly recently, throughout Tuscany different cheeses were

produced, but using variations on the aforementioed technique for making
Pecorino Toscano, and each one going by a name contianing Cacio and a
reference to the area where it was made.
Eventually though, standardisation came, something attested to by the

DOP label which is of cially carried by all authentic Pecorino Toscano and
means that the cheese has been made in a certain area, using veri ed
techniques.

The Using of Pecorino Toscano

Pecorino Toscano has many uses, depending on it’s hardness. The softer
versions go well in salads, while slightly more mature cheese can be eaten
with something sweet such as honey, jam or fruit.
The real rivalry with Parmesan appears though when we talk about grating.
Once Pecorino Toscano is well aged it forms a hard structure and strong
avour which is well suited to grating over all sorts of pasta dishes. This is
obviously the strong point of Parmigiano Reggiano too.
Parmigiano Reggiano maybe has a slight edge on Pecorino Toscano as it can

be aged for longer and develop an even more exquiste crystaline structure,
which is great for grating (excuse the pun!) but this all adds to the cost.
The Final Verdict

Overall, as we have seen, Pecorino Toscano and Parmigian Reggiano (i.e.
Parmesan) are very similar cheeses, certainly at least in terms of production
and the nal product when it comes to well matured versions.
There are perhaps slight variations in avour and structure, which arguably
give Parmigano the edge, but because of it’s reputation, Parmigian
Reggiano is often more expensive than Pecorino Toscano, so Pecorino
Toscano can be thought of as great, slightly cheaper cheese alternative to
Parmesan.
At the end of the day, it’s ultimately upto personal preference and, as
mentioned earlier, for at least ve hundred years people have been debating
which is best, Pecorino Toscano or Parmesan, so it’s obviously a close call!

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic
Oftentimes, we think of things getting worse with age. How much money is
spent for example on beauty treatments to rm up and smooth out
wrinkled skin or on products to restore lost hair. This is true in many cases
when we talk about food. Given the choice, most people would prefer a fresh
loaf of bread compared to a hard and dried up one from a couple of days
before, or recently picked fruit as opposed to fruit harvested many days
previously, which is already starting to go bad.
Milk and milk products can though buck this trend. Usually, we think of old
milk as being spoilt, but actually if watched over carefully, milk can become
something tasty and healthy in the form of sour milk. Beyond this, cheese is
perhaps one of the best examples of something that generally speaking
improves with age. We could say that there’s no such thing as old cheese,
there’s just mature cheese!

The aging ( or maybe more rightly termed maturing process) adds not only
avour to cheese, but it changes it’s consistency and structure, often
making it suitable for different uses, such as grating, plus preserving it and
concentrating its nutritional value. One particularly interesting example is
Casu Marzu, an Italian cheese which is ‚matured’ in a very notable and
debatable way.
An Im-pecorino Start
Casu Marzu actually begins life as a different cheese called, “Pecorino Sardo”.
Pecora in Italian means sheep and so “Pecorino” is a family of cheese made
from sheep’s milk. The “Sardo” refers to “of Sardinia”, in other words,
“Pecorino Sardo” is a sheep’s milk cheese from Sardinia.
The Pecorino cheeses can be matured for different lengths of time in order
to produce cheeses that range from soft to hard and crumbly. Cheese which
has been left for 20 to 60 days forms a thin rind, is straw coloured and has a
sweet taste. Alternatively, by leaving the cheese to mature for at least 120
days, a darker rind is formed, the cheese itself becomes straw-coloured and
the taste is now strong and slightly spicy.
Whatever the variety, these Pecorino Sardo cheeses are pleasant cheeses
with many different uses. One might say that they are impeccable. However,
there is a further method that can be used to mature them, producing what
is known as Casu Marzu.
A step too far?

Once a nice wheel of Pecorino cheese has been obtained, it would be
tempting to think that the cheesemaker’s work is done and now the time
has come either to enjoy the cheese himself or to make a little pro t by
selling it. In Sardinia, though this is not necessarily the case.

At some point in the past it was discovered that by removing part of the rind
of the Pecorino cheese and then leaving outside, the cheese becomes
infested with small white worms. These are the larvae of the so-called
‘cheese y’, a little insect that loves to lay its eggs in cheese (not to mention
meats and sh). The eggs hatch resulting in the cheese becoming full of the
white worms, which begin to eat away at the cheese. Not, you might
imagine, the best of situations.
However, as it happens, the worms simply break down the fat in the cheese,
causing it to become softer and slightly liquidy. The cheese itself remains
edible and in terms of taste, many would say that it is actually improved
rathered than harmed in spite of the presence of the little invaders.
Who Would Have Thought of That!

On rst hearing, it is hard to believe that people came up with the process
for making Casu Marzu, let alone began eating it. With a little meditation
though on the subject, a possible explanation is not too dif cult.
Perhaps in the past, when fridges weren’t around, some poor peasants in
Sardinia found that their last block of Pecorino cheese had become infested
by maggots and started to decay. However, due to hunger and poverty
preventing them from nding an alternative, they just went for it and ate
the cheese anyway.
They were probably pleasantly surprised to nd that the cheese still tasted
good, arguably better than before, and not suffering any serious ill effects
afterwards, decided that in the future a good way to make the most of old
Pecorino cheese is to let it decay into Casu Marzu.
A Dangerous Delicacy
Maybe in the past, people consumed Casu Marzu as a result of not having
any choice. In this day and age though we are often much more health and
hygiene conscience when it comes to our diets.

Because of this, a cheese that contains live worms is probably not

everybody’s cup of tea. Indeed, it is debatable if the cheese is even legal due
to the fact that it’s production breaks many hygiene rules.
The main health risk of Casu Marzu is that the worms might survive the
ingestion process and continue to live in a person’s intestines as parasites.
For this reason, the worms can be killed before consuming the cheese either
by refrigeration or by sealing the cheese in an airtight bag to starve the
worms of oxygen.
Ironically, a sign that the cheese itself is safe to eat is the fact that the worms
in it are still alive. If the worms have died naturally, it shows that the cheese
has gone too far down the road in the decay process, and so isn’t t for
human consumption anymore
Try it if You Dare!

The very name of this cheese makes it not sound very appetising. ‘Casu’ is a
word that means cheese and ‘Marzu’ means rotten or putrid. Arguably, not
the rst thing that you would want to go for on a restaurant’s menu or to
accompany your dinner after a long day’s work.
That being said, in Sardinia at least there is a long tradition of making and
eating Casu Marzu, so it can’t be all bad.
Personally, I haven’t tried this cheese and would have to think twice about
whether I would if given the opportunity, but for those of us with a strong
stomach and an appetite for adventure, it might be worth a go!

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic
We don’t usually think of cheeses belonging to families. But actually,

cheeses can be classi ed into different groups, using different criteria, such
as the production method used or rmness of the resulting cheese.
One other way of grouping cheeses is based on the source of the milk used
for producing the cheese. Such a classi cation gives rise to the Italian
Pecorino cheese family. Pecora is the Italian word for sheep and so Pecorino
cheese is cheese made from Sheep’s (i.e. Ewe’s) milk.
Due to the diversity of cheese across Italy, but similarity in production

techniques, there are many different types of cheese made from Ewe’s milk,
many of them known under the name of Pecorino. One of them is Pecorino
Abruzzese.
The Abruzzo Region of Italy

To someone unfamiliar with the geography of Italy, this might seem like an
obscure name. However, once one is aware that there is a region in south
central Italy called Abruzzo, things become a bit clearer. Evidently, Pecorino
Abruzzese is Pecorino cheese made in Abruzzo!
The Abruzzo region has a number of notable cheeses, although all but two
(Caciocavallo di Agnone and Stracciata) are linked in some way to Ewe’s milk
and so are Pecorino type cheeses.
Of these, Pecorino Abruzzese, as the name suggests, can be considered the

standard version of Pecorino cheese from the area.
A Flagship Cheese
Pecorino Abruzzese is made from ewe’s milk (worth taking into
consideration that these are ewe’s that have been grazed in the Abruzzo
area due to the dif culties in transporting milk long distances thus the milk
takes on board avours characteristic to the region). It is made using a fairly
standard Pecorino method.

Rennet, an enzyme that coagulates milk i.e. causes the casein protein in it to
solidify and come out of solution, is added to ewe’s milk that hasn’t been
pasteurised. The milk is treated raw so that it contains more bacteria that
help in the maturation process. The rennet is added in liquid form and can
be lamb’s or kid’s (i.e. baby goats!) rennet.
Before the rennet is added, the milk is heated to 38 degrees Celsius. This
increases the acidity of the milk, something which also aids the coagulation
process. After the rennet is added, the solution is left for around an hour.
Once this time has passed, the milk has formed a gel due to the protein
solidifying. The solid part of the gel is called curd. By hand, this curd is broken
up into large lumps and allowed to stand. This initiates the process of the
solid curd separating from the liquid part, known as whey.
Next, the curd is hand pressed to further drain it of whey. It is placed in rush
baskets and once again pressed. This is followed by brief immersion in
boiling whey. This alters the bacterial make-up of the curd and so in uences
the maturing process.
After cooking, the curd is left for two days to dry and nally salted by being
placed in a brine (i.e. salt solution) bath.
The Final Touch

As with most cheeses (the exception being fresh cheeses that are eaten
straight after production, such as Mozzarella) a key aspect of production is
the maturation period.
In the case of Pecorino Abruzzese, once the curd has been extracted from
the milk and processed in the above mentioned way, it remains to be left to
mature in order to perfect the nal product.
Pecorino Abruzzese is generally left for 20 days in a warm, well-aired room,
after which time it is consumable. However, in order to enhance the nal
cheeses, they are usually left for a further month and rubbed with olive oil,
before being given the go ahead to be sold and consumed.
Vital Statistics

The nished cheese has a hard rind that forms during the aging process. It is
wrinkled and brownish in colour with occasional growths of (non-harmful)
bacteria.
The body, or esh, of the cheese is rm and straw-coloured (i.e a pale yellow).
The cheeses are at and cylindrical, and can have a diameter of up to 14-22
cm.
The height of Pecorino Abruzzese cheeses is usually between 4 and 10 cm

and weight between 1 to 3 kg.
The production area is all over the Abruzzo region of Italy.
One Among Many

As mentioned in the beginning of this article, all over Italy very many
different types of Pecorino cheese are made. Some use a standard method
of production similar to the one described here above. Others however,
introduce regional and technical variations to the method, resulting in a host
of different cheeses, based nevertheless on a basic theme.
A number of these Pecorino cheeses are what’s called PDO cheeses. This
stands for Protected Designation of Origin. In other words, some Pecorino
cheeses have a legally protected status, which means they can only be
produced in certain areas of Italy, using carefully controlled ingredients and
methods of production. Of these special PDO status cheeses, Pecorino
Romano is probably the most famous.
Whilst Pecorino Abruzzese belongs to this illustrious Pecorino cheese family,

it hasn’t quite reached the heights of this PDO status. This means to say that
the way it is made is not so rigorously controlled as some other cheeses.
However, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Pecorino Abruzzese isn’t worth a
try. Indeed, the lack of PDO makes it in some respects even more of a
specialist cheese as it is not so well known or widely produced and sold.
More so than that, in Abruzzo there are a number of other Pecorino cheeses
made. Pecorino Abruzzese is however the standard (as the name suggests)
on which these other Abruzzo cheeses are based.

All in all then, Pecorino Abruzzese is a good example of a traditional local

Pecorino cheese, which merits being given ago if the opportunity arises. It is
a standard which can give a avour of Abruzzo cheeses as a whole and also a
good entry in the Parthenon of Pecorino cheeses, which any dedicated
Italian cheeseaholic should give ago!

Pecorino del Parco, a cheese that beats others at their own game! – Italian
Cheeseaholic
Unfortunately, in this age of modern technology, many children are growing

up in a virtual world. In days gone by, the park was for many children the
place to be. Here, they could have fun with their friends, enjoying fresh air
and taking a break from the watchful eye of parents or annoying siblings at
home. Indeed, it is common place for most big cities to have parks as not
only children, but also adults, have much to gain from such a natural
environment.
It might seem like a stretch, but this analogy actually ts quite well to
Pecorino del Parco. As the name suggests, this cheese has a park
connection, and, as we will see, it has much to bene t from it.
Not just another Pecorino

The Pecorino family of cheeses is a large one, containing many different
varieties. This is mainly due to the fact that in Italian Pecorino means ‘of
sheep’ so Pecorino cheese is then just any cheese made out of sheep’s milk.
As can be imagined, over the years throughout Italy, many different ways of
processing sheep’s milk developed, resulting in a wide assortment of
cheeses.
The basic procedure for producing Pecorino cheeses is fairly similar all over
Italy. However, regional variations in the milk and techniques used result in
differing end products.
Firstly, raw milk is heated and liquid rennet (in the case of Pecorino del Parco
this is an enzyme taken from lamb’s stomachs that helps the protein in the
milk solidify out of solution) and the mixture is left until a gel is formed which
means that protein from the milk has solidi ed. For Pecorino del Parco, the
milk is heated to 38 degrees Celsius and left for around 20 minutes to
coagulate.
The resulting solid, otherwise known as curd, is separated into largish pieces
and left to stand. Next it is heated brie y to 42 degrees Celsius, wrapped in
special cheese cloths, and pressed by hand. This is all to help as much liquid
as possible to drain out of the solid cheese curd.
Pecorino del Parco, a cheese that beats others at their own game! – Italian Cheeseaholic
Cheeseaholic
Finally, the solid curd is placed in rush baskets. These act as a mould and
container as the cheese matures. The cheese is salted by pacing in a brine
bath and then left for a minimum of 60 days to ripen.
In this process there are two key aspects that add a little something to
Pecorino del Parco, and so differentiate it from other Pecorinos.
The Advantages of Park Life

As is the case with any cheese, the area and conditions in which it is
produced have a signi cant bearing on the quality of the nal product.
Pecorino del Parco is produced speci cally in the National Park area of
Abruzzo, using milk from sheep that have been natural raised and fed. This
results in adding some characteristic avours and qualities from the
surrounding area into the sheeps’ milk and thus consequently on into any
cheese made from this milk.
The second point is that when making Pecorino del Parco, unlike for other
Pecorino cheese, before being salted and left to mature, the Pecorino del
Parco cheese curd is not cooked. This means that more of the original,
natural avours, aromas and qualities are retained in the nal product.
This then can be said to be the key advantage of Pecorino del Parco over
other Pecorino cheeses. It has been made organically in a health
environment. Parks are often places where people entertain themselves
with different ball games. For Pecorino del Parco, it’s origin in the
surroundings of a National Park and all the bene ts it retains due to the
healthy, varied pasture that the sheep there enjoy, is what helps it score a
winning goal against the other Pecorino cheeses in its league!
The Final Product

My home economics teacher always used to say that you eat with your eyes.
There is certainly some truth to this. Snails or some insects might actually be
healthy and tasty morsels, but just the sight (not to mention thought) of
eating something that crawls or slithers around is just not appealing!
Cheeseaholic
Fortunately, cheese usually has a much more standard appearance and so is

generally palatable, at least as far as the eye test is concerned.
Pecorino del Parco is a brownish cheese on the outside (Admittedly, maybe

not the most appetising of hues, but not too bad nonetheless) and a straw-
white colour inside, which re ects the colour you would expect for matured
milked. The outside is slightly wrinkled due to the imprint that is has taken
onboard from the rush baskets in which it is left to mature.
The cheese texture is rm, making it an example of a hard cheese. Usually,

the cheeses are 14-20 cm in diameter, 4-8 cm high, cylindrical and 1 to 3 kg in
weight.
The Proof of the Pudding

Another old adage says that the proof of the pudding is in the eating. This
can of course be applied literally in the case of cheese.
Pecorino cheeses tend to have a strong, tangy taste, but not unpleasant.
Pecorino del Parco adds a little something to this standard Pecorino taste
due to the National Park area where it is made. Here the sheep graze on
some plants and grasses that sheep from other areas don’t have access to.
The maturing process hardens Pecorino cheeses, making them suitable as

grating cheeses. Indeed, Pecorino can be, and indeed often is, used as an
alternative to the more expensive Parmigiano Reggiano in grating onto
various pasta dishes.
Pecorino del Parco is also a pleasant experience to be eaten on its own as a

table cheese. A tip is to try dipping it into honey for a particularly special
sweet cheese combination, which can be enjoyed as a sweet snack or even
as dessert after a meal.
Mother Nature Beats Man-Made Design

Every Time
Cheeseaholic
Just as life is best lived out in God’s creation as it was meant to be, rather
than cooped up in human made buildings, living in an arti cial virtual world,
cheese is at its best when it is traditionally made using natural ingredients,
rather than processed, factory mass produced versions.
Pecorino del Parco is a great example of a cheese that is specially made by

just a few producers and which embodies the natural advantages of a park
based lifestyle!
Pecorino del Sannio, a Variety on a Cheese Theme – Italian Cheeseaholic
Above image from gransigliodellaforchetta.it
Variety is the spice of life, or so they say. If we sit down to think about it, there
certainly seems to be some sense to this notion. What indeed would life be
like if we all wore the same clothes, spoke the same language, did the same
things each day, watched the same T.V. programmes and so on?
Fortunately, the wonder of creation is that things aren’t always the same,
and this certainly adds a lot of value and interest to what would otherwise be
the mundanity of daily life. And even more fortunately for cheese lovers, this
variety applies all the way to cheese!
It is hard to say how many different types of cheese exist. Estimates range
from hundreds to a thousand or more. It all depends on exactly how you
de ne things. In any case, what’s for sure is that many different varieties
exist, with many differences between them. Pecorino del Sannio is one of
them.
Not Just Another Brick in the Pecorino Wall

If we sit down and think about it, cheese is essentially something very
simple and basic. It is little more than processed milk. In the same way that
fruits are turned into jams, dried or put in pies, so is milk made into cheese in
order to preserve it, not to mention to diversify its taste and uses.
One such category of persevered milk is the Pecorino family. These are
cheeses made in Italy from sheep’s milk. They are otherwise known as Ewe’s
milk cheeses, logically really as ewe is the name for a female sheep, and milk
or course comes from the female!
The beauty of cheese is that diversity comes upon diversity. Pecorino is one
of many types of cheeses, but even within the Pecorino family that are many
subcategories, that is to say, different ways of processing milk, using milk
from different areas, which results in many different types of Pecorino
cheese.
Whilst the various different Pecorino cheeses undoubtedly have similarities,

that also have subtle, or not so subtle differences, which gives them their
own character and uniqueness.
What’s so Special about del Sannio

There are a number of aspects that make Pecorino del Sannio somewhat
different to other Pecorino cheeses.
Firstly, as in the case of many varieties of cheese, the milk used is important.
In the case of Pecorino del Sannio, the milk is speci cally from Comisana
ewes. Comisana sheep are a breed indigenous to Italy, originating in Sicily,
but now found also in other Italian provinces. It is a breed of sheep for which
the Italian national association of sheep breeders keeps a record (otherwise
known as a herdbook). In 2013, there were only 28,428 sheep recorded. In
other words, this is a select breed of sheep and so the speci cs and peculiar
qualities of their milk go into making Pecorino del Sannio.
Next, and probably most signi cantly, the actual procedure for producing
Pecorino del Sannio differs signi cantly from the traditional method used for
making most Pecorino cheeses.

To begin with, raw milk is used. This is not so different from many other
small-scale, artisanal cheeses, but is a big difference to most mass-produced
cheeses. Raw milk has a very different bacterial makeup to pasteurised milk
as the aim of the pasteurisation process is just that, to destroy bacteria so
that milk, and indeed anything made from it, lasts longer. However, these
bacteria are a key component in the process of making cheese and the nal
product that results, so it is often thought that it is best to use raw milk to
help and enhance the making of certain cheeses. In America and elsewhere
the use of raw milk for cheesemaking is generally not allowed nevertheless
as it is seen risky for the quality and health-giving, or otherwise, properties of
the resulting cheeses.
This raw milk is ltered to remove impurities and heated to 30 degrees

Celsius, another deviation from standard Pecorino technique, which usually
heats the milk to a slightly higher temperature. Next the main part, and
arguably biggest difference, of the cheesemaking, begins.
The Nitty Gritty

Cheesemaking can be thought of as having two key steps. Firstly, extracting
the solid cheese protein from milk, and then secondly, the process of
maturing this solid to produce the nal product.
Once the milk has been warmed, a tiny amount of lamb’s rennet in the form
of a paste is added. This stimulates the process of the solid protein
separating out from the liquid part of the milk. However, using just a small
quantity of rennet and only gently heating the milk causes the process to
go slowly. For other Pecorino cheeses, this process can be done in less than
an hour, in some cases even in 20 minutes. But not Pecorino del Sannio,
which can take up to six hours to coagulate.
The separating out of solid and liquid in milk is caused by an increase of

acidity of the solution. A component called rennet is added to make this
happen faster, so most cheeses can be called rennet coagulated cheeses,
but Pecorino del Sannio is more of a rennet-assisted lactic acid coagulation
cheese.

The slow coagulation process in uences the properties of the milk that are
retained in the solid cheese curd that is precipitated from it, and so has a
knock-on effect for the nal cheese made.
The Not so Unexpected Ending

Once the curd has been obtained, the rest of the process is speci c for
Pecorino del Sannio, but fairly standard in nature.
The solid is cut up into rice sized pieces to aid the loss of moisture. These
pieces are then hand pressed in moulds and turned over several times. This
all helps the drying process. When dried out suf ciently, salt is rubbed into
the embryonic cheeses. Finally, they are placed in damp, bur well-aired caves
for between 50 and 90 days, in order to mature and take on their nal
appearance.
Once extra little nuance is that whilst maturing the cheeses are regularly
oiled. This protects them from the formation of unwanted fungus on the
outside, and seals inside moisture and other properties.
A Special Cheese Among Special Cheeses

As we have seen, there are a few aspects in its production, that make
Pecorino del Sannio different, and thus special, when compared to other
Pecorino cheeses.
The main differences are the milk used and the procedure for extracting
solid casein protein from the milk. There are also some more minor variations
such as oiling the rind as the cheese matures and indeed the speci cs of the
region where it is made (the Molise side of Sannio in east-central Italy).
All in all, this is what cheese is all about. Many different variations in
production method are used to produce a great variety of different cheeses.
From one point of view, Pecorino del Sannio is just another one of them, but
on the other hand, its particular way of being made makes it special in its
own right!

Marcetto, the Cheese with a Catch! – Italian Cheeseaholic
Waste not, want not is a common and wise expression in the English
language. What could be better than making the most of what we have for
personal bene t, not to mention in order to help those around.
In the world of cheese making such a philosophy also exists. Over the years,
as cheese making techniques developed, cheese makers found ways to
make the most of any by-products or waste. One shinning example are
whey cheeses such as Ricotta, which are made from the liquid part of milk
called whey. The majority of cheeses are made from the solid part of the milk,
but so as not to waste the whey, methods were developed for making
cheeses out of the proteins which can be extracted from this whey by
heating it.
Another are cheese in the mould (as it were!) of Marcetto. These can be
thought of as cheeses that are an attempt to salvage something from gone-
off sheep’s cheeses. Whilst the thought of saving what would otherwise be
waste cheese, is a noble one, the details involved are not for the faint
hearted, or indeed weak stomached!
A Different Way to Mature Cheese

In making cheese, there are two essential steps. Firstly, getting the protein
out of the milk to form a solid. Secondly, this protein needs to be worked and
matured to form the nal cheese. There are many different variations on
how to do this thus such a wide range of cheese are in existence.
In the case of Marcetto, a very special method is employed to mature the

cheese. A big clue to what this method might be is given when we think
about the origin of the name Marcetto. It is very likely that this is a dialect
term for maggot!
It sounds ominous and not altogether appetising, but it is actually true that
certain maggots when introduced into cheese, break down fat and produce
a soft cheese that is edible!
Flies are Actually Good for Something!

Sometimes we could ask ourselves the question, what ies are actually good
for? Well, in the wonder of God’s creation, even the more insigni cant beings
have their part to play. In the case of the so-called cheese y, Piophila casei,
one good thing that could be said is the larvaes’ role in helping to mature
bad cheese.
Sheep, or in Italian Pecorino, cheese is widely produced in Italy. With such a

large production and less than well developed preservation techniques in
days gone by, it was obviously the case that often not all the cheese
produced was consumed. As a result, it would not have been uncommon for
people to come across spoilt Pecorino.
At some point, maybe by a daring cheese maker or seller, it was realised that
over-ripe Pecorino cheese, if left for a long time, actually became edible
again. The reason is mentioned above. Cheese ies landed on this cheese,
laid their eggs and eventually cheese y larvae hatched. These larvae began
eating the cheese fat, which results in it being broken down and becoming
soft. This soft product, once ready, it quite edible.
Maggot Made Cheese

Over time, in varying regions of Italy, different types of cheese produced by
maggots eating left over cheese developed. Amongst them, there are
obviously differences depending on the origin cheese that was being
consumed by the maggots.
In the Abruzzo (South Central) region of Italy, Marcetto is the version of

maggot, otherwise known as pitted (which sounds somewhat more
appetising!), cheese.
It takes about a year for the Marcetto to be ready. It starts with Pecorino
cheese (a popular cheese in the region) which is in excess or no longer
required because of poor quality or aging, being left in conditions where
cheese ies have access to it. These in turn do their thing in laying eggs,
which result in time with the bad Pecorino becoming infested with
maggots. These eat their way through the cheese, until it suitably processed
and ready for human consumption!

The nal product has a light pink colour and a creamy, but variable
consistency (obviously, the maggots are fussy eaters!).
Other Types
Marcetto is not unique and as mentioned above there are a number of other
cheeses produced in this way. Probably the most famous of them is Casu
Marzu.
Casu Marzu is made on the island of Sardina. In essence, it is simply a

Sardinian version of Marcetto, with old Pecorino cheese being allowed to
decay until the cheese y larvae living in it have fermented it enough to eat.
Again, the name gives the game away as to what the cheese is all about,
Casu meaning cheese and Marzu a dialect word for maggot.
Other variations on this theme in Italy would include Bross Ch’a marcia in
Piedmont, Cacie’ Punt in Molise, Furmai nis in Emilia-Romagna, and
Salterello in Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
The Final Word

The Salterello cheese also has a very telling name, as this term refers to the
fact that the cheese contains little jumpers! This is in fact the main issue
with Marcetto and other insect matured cheeses. There is not necessarily
anything wrong with eating the cheese (apart maybe from the thought of
eating something that has been processed by insect larvae!), but
unavoidably the nal cheese is obviously still full of possibly thousands of the
larvae.
Different techniques exist for killing off the little inhabitants before
consuming the cheese, such as refrigeration or wrapping the cheese in an
air tight plastic bag to starve them of oxygen, but it still means eating
something that contains dead larvae, and who knows, maybe some have
survived!
Indeed, there have been cases of people being taken ill as these cheese y
larvae can survive digestion and remain in the peoples intestines.

So the bottom line, before tasting Marcetto or any of its cheese cousins,
make sure you take into consideration the risks. Probably, its best left to
those with well worn stomachs or people who are looking for a real culinary
adventure!

The Lost Cheese – Italian Cheeseaholic
For Aurelius, it had been one of those days.
On the way to the forum, not so much a funny, as an annoying thing had
happened. He’d been happily wending his way along, admittedly weighed
down by the ten cheeses he had for sale, when he had bumped into Markus.
This as usual meant bad news. This time it was all about his family’s new
mosaic. It needed cleaning. Most sane people had slaves for this sort of thing,
but not the Maximus’. Their slaves were already busy with other chores and
they couldn’t possibly go out and buy another one. That would of course
cost many a Sestertii and they were already in economy mode, saving up to
invest in their new country villa.
So, guess what? Markus had invited (imposed would be more accurately
said) on Aurelius to come and help. Aurelius, being a servant hearted sort of
chap, couldn’t help but agree, even though dies saturni was usually his day
of rest. Somebody always wants something, but rarely does anybody want to
give, thought Aurelius to himself.
Another Conundrum
That was everything by all means on this fateful day. Hardly, had Aurelius got
away from Markus when who should come across his path other than
Sophia. She was a statuesque girl, not so young as it happens, but
nevertheless a black beauty. From what he heard and the little he had
observed a very diligent person as well. A good wife option it would seem,
but for Aurelius she wouldn’t even given him the time of day, even though
her family had one of the best sundials around!
When he spied her, he thought about trying to bump into her as it were and
start a conversation, but this was easy said than done as Aurelius was a
nervous, hesitant chap and anyway, as soon as Sophia saw him, she altered
course. Oh well, maybe another day, but probably not!
The Final Straw

Finally, Aurelius had arrived at his intended destination, the Forum in the
centre of his town. To top off the other annoyances of the day it had begun
to rain, and umbrellas hadn’t been invented yet, so he was just going to have
to get jolly wet. It was all in a good cause he thought though, as he laid out
the cheeses he had for sale. But alas, there was still one more misfortunate
to be had on this horrid day, quidem he was supposed to have ten cheeses,
but there were only nine in his leather loculus!
What to do? Should he stick it out in the rain and try and sell what he had, or
would this prove to be a fruitless endeavor and maybe he would be better
off to go and search for the lost cheese?
He mused for a little while, but soon it was clear that due to the inclement
weather there weren’t be many buyers for his dairy fare. So, reluctantly he
packed up to return home thinking that he would check on the way in case
he had dropped the cheese. He thought this unlikely, but you never know.
He was apprehensive about returning home, partly because of not wanting

to get in trouble about losing the cheese, but there was also another reason.
Lately, his parents had been acting kind of strange. They’d got involved in a
new group of friends. Nothing wrong with that, except Aurelius had heard
rumors that they were members of a new religious cult that had recently
been spreading. Sounded a bit worrying to Aurelius, especially as from what
he knew, the Roman empire didn’t take kindly to such things as new
religions that could threaten the Pax Romana. By Jupiter, this could all mean
trouble!
The Way Home

As Aurelius wound his way back home, he checked the streets for any signs
of his lost cheese. It was a hard, well preserved one, Parmesanium he was
thinking of naming it after one his favourite towns (they just serve the best
ham around!) but his parents seem to prefer the more mundane caseus
rmus, which was at least an accurate description.

No sign of the cheese, but plenty of time for re ection. In the past, his
parents would have been very angry about such oversights, but recently,
since they met their new friends actually, things had changed somewhat.
They seemed calmer and to have a much more relaxed perspective about
the stresses and strains of daily life. What could the cause be? Maybe this
new religion of these new friends wasn’t such a bad thing after all? I’m not
sure Caesar will see it that way though, thought Aurelius, unless of course his
parents have gotten some new friends as well.
The Arrival
Finally, after a fruitless journey home, there it was before him, his family’s
condominium (the neighbours were a bit of a wrench, but maybe Aurelius
could introduce them to these new friends of his parents and then there
wouldn’t be any more bards after midnight or barneys before).
Aurelius had a quick check around the outer court to see if there was any
cheese sitting around, but alas none was to be found. He approached the
doorway (he’d be thinking about latching something out of wood over the
space to ip back and forth but hadn’t quite gotten around to it). Maybe, it
was just as well that the doorway was open, as sounds easy emanated
forthwith. Aurelius became conscientious that there were guests in the
house. Once again, taking advantage of the open doorway, he peered inside.
There were his parents reclining surrounded by their new friends of whom
there were a considerable number plus there was a new gure. A small,
middle aged, not impressively looking man standing before everyone in the
room. He seemed to be waxing lyrical about something. Indeed, he was
becoming very animated so as to say that it must something of great
consequence.
Aurelius’ initial reaction was to pull away. After all, he didn’t want to get too
involved. He was young and had everything before him. He wouldn’t like to
get mixed up in some new religious cult, especially not one that the
authorities might not approve of. However, as he tried to move away, he
strangely caught an ear full of some of the things that were being said. They
intrigued him and he felt drawn, rather than to distance himself, to actually
move closer to hear better…….

Making the most of Milk
These are just my thoughts inspired by the topic of Cheese.

Hopefully, they won't be too cheesy and indeed might even
be helpful to someone!

Pecorino Cheeses 2976

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Pecorino

It’s all in a Name 4

Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Proof of the Pudding 24

Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic

Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic

It’s all in a Name

Anyway, linguistically frustrated digression aside, the Latin word ‘Caseus’ is

Going Back and Forth

Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic

Moving on in time, the Romans found different techniques to take very

Something a little more Exotic

In any case, Romanian is a language which adheres to the already discussed

Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cheese can also mean something lacking in quality or overly sentimental,

Making the most of Milk – Italian Cheeseaholic

Parmesan cheese, more correctly called Parmigano Reggiano, is considered

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Cow’s Cheese vs Sheep’s Cheese

This difference is most pronounced in less well matured versions, where, as is

This difference (in my opinion at least!) doesn’t disqualify Pecorino Toscano

The Makings of Pecorino Toscano

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

A little look at another type of Pecorino Cheese!

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

A side on slice of Pecorino Toscano

The Naming of Pecorino Toscano

In ancient times it seems to have been called Lunense, or at least the

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Interestingly, Bartolomeo Platina in 1475 compared Marzolino cheese to

Finally, up until fairly recently, throughout Tuscany different cheeses were

Eventually though, standardisation came, something attested to by the

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Using of Pecorino Toscano

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Parmigiano Reggiano maybe has a slight edge on Pecorino Toscano as it can

The Final Verdict

An alternative to Parmesan – Italian Cheeseaholic

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

A step too far?

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Who Would Have Thought of That!

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Because of this, a cheese that contains live worms is probably not

Try it if You Dare!

Casu Marzu, the cheese that’s alive! – Italian Cheeseaholic

We don’t usually think of cheeses belonging to families. But actually,

Due to the diversity of cheese across Italy, but similarity in production

The Abruzzo Region of Italy

Of these, Pecorino Abruzzese, as the name suggests, can be considered the

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

The Final Touch

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

The height of Pecorino Abruzzese cheeses is usually between 4 and 10 cm

The production area is all over the Abruzzo region of Italy.

One Among Many

Whilst Pecorino Abruzzese belongs to this illustrious Pecorino cheese family,

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

All in all then, Pecorino Abruzzese is a good example of a traditional local

Pecorino Abruzzese, Part of a big, cheesy Family! – Italian Cheeseaholic

Unfortunately, in this age of modern technology, many children are growing

Not just another Pecorino

The Advantages of Park Life