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Abruzzi Pecorino Cheese
History
Pecorino cheese is a characteristic product of transhumance, a very ancient form of territorial management in the South of Italy. Together with ricotta cheese, it has represented for decades the essential diet of the shepherds who used to move with their flocks between Apulia and Abruzzi, following the season cycle, looking for pastures giving unique aromas and fragrances to the sheep-breeding products. The usage to move the flocks to Apulia has practically disappeared; however, the use of mountain pastures and fodder combined with the traditional processing method which has been maintained unchanged, give to the current pecorino cheese production the ancient features of a transhumance product.
Current Production Area in the Park: Its production involves the whole Park area, in Abruzzi and the Marches.
Description
A traditional product of Regione Abruzzo, it has slightly different processing techniques according to the production areas and is generally characterized by a hard or semi-hard texture, dry, and with little holes. It is obtained from whole sheep's milk, animal curdle, and salt. At the end of the coagulation stages, the cheese is put into molds and gets eventually stewed. Afterwards, it is salted in pickle or dry, spreading the salt on its lateral and upper sides, and salting the lower side after about 12 hours, after turning the cheese upside down. In order to better monitor the maturation process, the rounds are generally oiled with extra-virgin olive oil. The rounds have a weight going from about one kilo to 5-10 kg. The cheese is eaten when it is green or mature, with delicate to more intense and spicy aromatic features. The local pecorino cheese is generally less salted than the pecorino cheese produced in other areas of Central-Southern Italy.
Product Availability: Pecorino cheese is for sale all year round.
