Pecorino Toscano DOP
Founded on February 27, 1985, the Pecorino Toscano PDO Protection Consortium has brought together knowledge and know-how, made up of businesses, sharing a mutual love for the region and production excellence. The Pecorino Toscano PDO family consists of 245 farmers, 17 dairies, a maturer and a packager.
The Consortium guarantees for over thirty years that only cheese that meets the product specification is labeled, recognized and sold as Pecorino Toscano PDO, handing down the tradition and strengthening the identity nationally and internationally. Today as yesterday, this cheese characterizes the dairy tradition of Tuscany and of the area of origin (Tuscany and some neighboring municipalities of Lazio and Umbria), within which milk is produced, transformed into cheese and brought to the end of maturation. . Its unique and delicate flavor tells an ancient story that goes from the Etruscans to the present day in the name of quality and the very close link with the territory.
Fresh and Aged Differences
The Pecorino Toscano with a soft texture has a minimum maturation period of 20 days (but it is normally extended up to 45/60 days). It is recognized for its cylindrical shape and for the DOP mark made in ink on the side. It has a thin, uniform, smooth and soft yellow rind. The white / light yellow paste has some irregular and well distributed holes. The smell is delicate, of butter and hay. The taste is sweet and clean. The paste is soft to the touch. When chewed, it is not very elastic, a little consistent, without being hard. Meanwhile the aged Pecorino Toscano is semi-hard. It must mature for at least 120 days but can mature for up to a year. It is recognized for its cylindrical shape and for the DOP brand, executed in fire, on the side. It has a thin, uniform, smooth, compact yellow rind. The paste is pale straw yellow in color, with some irregular and well-distributed holes. The smell is well perceptible, delicate, of dried fruit and hay. These nuances
How it is Made
It is called “caesificazione”, the production process that goes from milk to cheese. In one word there is an ancient yet constantly evolving practice. Over time, technology has refined and improved the production process, but the touch of the dairyman remains decisive in making every form of cheese unique. The production of Pecorino Toscano DOP is a process made up of phases, each of which contributes to making it unique. It is produced exclusively with sheep’s milk from pastures in the area of origin (Tuscany and some neighboring municipalities of Lazio and Umbria), as established by the Production Regulations. Under the pale yellow rind, this enchanting cheese has a sweet taste and a milky aroma, a scent that loses during maturation in favor of a more intense and structured taste.
