Pecorino

Nutty, mild, and soft but crumbly when young and grainy and sharply flavored when mature, pecorino cheese is made from sheep’s milk and can be aged from less than a month to more than a year. Pecorino Romano, the best-known of the big pecorino family, is made in Lazio and Sardinia and in Grossetto Province in Tuscany and has PDO status, as do Pecorino Toscano (Tuscany), Pecorino Sardo (Sardinia), Pecorino Siciliano (Sicily), and Pecorino di Filiano (Basilicata). Most pecorinos are sold aged, but Pecorino Toscano, which has a milky taste and buttery texture when young, is both a popular table cheese and grating cheese in its home region.