Pecorino Toscano PDO, aged sheep cheese - whole wheel

The aged Pecorino Toscano PDO is an Italian cheese produced with sheep's milk and aged at least 4 months. It is made mainly in Tuscany, so it obtained the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). 

Pecorino is a sort of umbrella term, so it can be used to indicate any cheese produced with sheep’s milk. Indeed, in Italy there are many varieties of Pecorino cheese, all typical of certain areas or sheep breeds. In Southern Italy, it is better known as cacio.

Its origins date back to ancient times - in some reports it is described as one of the most popular cheeses at Lorenzo de Medici’s banquets - but the PDO label was obtained only in 1992. 

The guidelines establish all stages of production, from the milking to the ageing. The milk must be of sheep and come from the areas of origin: Tuscany and some neighboring municipalities of Lazio and Liguria.

The aged Pecorino Toscano is a mature cheese, with an ageing period of at least 120 days and up to one year; cheese makers use only calf rennet and the salting process takes just one day.

The aged Pecorino Toscano has a cylindrical shape, a thin yellow crust that contains an irresistible soft and sweet yellow paste with a fragrant taste, intense and slightly spicy.