Description
PERSONALITY
Pecorino Siciliano DOP is produced exclusively with whole sheep’s milk, fresh and coagulated with lamb rennet.
The milk to be made into cheese (processed) comes from sheep raised on spontaneous pasture in the Sicilian territory. The processing takes place with wooden tools and the salting is applied manually on each wheel.
In addition, the seasoning period is carried out in naturally ventilated rooms and is not less than 4 months.
APPEARANCE AND TASTE
Pecorino Siciliano PDO has a cylindrical shape with flat sides with a 10-18 cm high side. The crust is yellowish white in color and a wrinkled surface that reflects the modeling of the basket in which it was placed. The paste is hard and compact, white or straw yellow in color with slight holes. The weight of the wheels varies from 8 to 12 kg; the smell is spicy, fresh and floral; the strong and fruity taste, more markedly spicy for the more mature cheese.
The Pecorino Siciliano DOP is the oldest cheese produced in Sicily, probably the oldest in Europe.
It was Homer (IX BC), who in a passage of the Odyssey wrote “he curdles half the milk and places it in woven baskets”.
These words are from Ulysses as he tells about Polyphemus in the art of cheese making and that bring back the techniques used then to produce cheese to the present day.
Subsequently Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD) wrote in Naturalis Historia “Rome, where the wealth of all peoples can be judged closely”, and by classifying the cheeses he refers to Sicilian cheese as one of the best of the time .
He was talking about Sicilian pecorino.
GASTRONOMY
It is an excellent meal cheese *, especially if eaten fresh or semi-seasoned, the Sicilian PDO Seasoned Pecorino is instead widely used as a grating cheese, to flavor first courses, but also in combination with bread and olives, fruit and honey which they tend to attenuate the rather spicy flavor. It goes well with red wines, better if full-bodied.
*Its solid non-flaky texture make it easy to enjoy, including as a snack or nibble, thinly sliced, or in cubes as a garnish for salads and sandwiches.
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