Pecorino Sardo DOP

At the end of the eighteenth century, the cheese produced by row or warm milk were called white, red or smoked cheese; among them, the red and the smoked ones are today considered by experts Pecorino Sardo cheese ”progenitors”. Pecorino Sardo cheese has become the symbol of Sardinia, not only in Italy, but also all over the world, due to its strong and ancient cultural roots linked to its tradition and centuries-old experience; for this reason, it has obtained several and relevant designations in Italy and abroad.

By Decree of the President of the Council of Minister,  Pecorino Sardo cheese has been included  in the list of products which have been identified by the Designation of Origin seal, on November 4th, 1991.  On July 1996, by means of EEC Regulation n.1263/96, it had been awarded to the Protected Designation of Origin. Because of this, the protection of designation has been extended at European Level, so rendering Pecorino Sardo cheese a unique and inimitable product, strongly  linked to  its geographical area of origin.

History

This cheese – today one of the most appreciated and sought after by overseas tourists – has its roots in the splendid scenery of Sardinia and in the very particular characteristics of this land and its inhabitants. Already at the time of the Carthaginians (and later the Romans), together with Sicily and southern Italy, the Sardinian island became one of the granaries of the Mediterranean: thus, to meet the growing demand for cereals, the population began to clear more and more areas of the hinterland to make room for the precious wheat fields and pastures. In fact, the Nuragic population (which will then decline precisely following the conflicts with the Carthaginians and the Romans) could boast of a long tradition of sheep breeding. The knowledge of the breeders, together with the favorable climatic and environmental conditions and an increasing number of available land, rich in herbs and aromatic shrubs (an important food source for sheep), contribute to spreading this activity.

The first historical traces ascertained refer to the eighteenth century, and among the various cheeses of which we have news of that time – the Whites, the Fresa, the Spiatatu, the Rossi Fini, the Smoked – the last two would be the “ancestors” of our beloved pecorino Sardinian: these types of cheese are obtained with a particular process, by cooking raw milk and dipping red-hot stones into it. But to reach a production method close to the modern one, it is necessary to wait about another hundred years: it is only in the nineteenth century that thermometers, milk filtration, the use of titrated liquid rennet and new machinery that allow a marked improvement in hygiene and processing conditions. Technological innovation which, however, does not mean forgetting the past: today’s producers have not renounced tradition and, in certain areas inside Sardinia, the inhabitants continue to produce cheese according to the slow and archaic gestures of their grandparen

Products Pecorino Sardo DOP