The Pecorino Toscano DOP is an Italian cheese that obtained Protected Designation of Origin status on July 2, 1996.
The origins of Pecorino Toscano date back to the pastoral activities of the Etruscans and Romans who, in order to meet the need to preserve a food with great nutritional value, perfected the art of cheese making.
The Etruscans were the first to use vegetable rennet and to produce large wheels suitable for feeding families for long periods.
Some accounts describe it as one of the most appreciated cheeses at the banquets of Lorenzo the Magnificent.
In the Manuale del Pecoraio, a handbook for large-scale shepherds and farmers published in 1832, Ignazio Malenotti pays tribute to Pecorino Toscano. He also refers for the first time to two qualities of cacio (as it was once called): one strong and slightly spicy, the other sweet. The difference lies in the fact that the former is obtained by coagulating the milk with rennet, while the latter is made with wild artichoke flowers, known as presame.
The regulations establish all stages of production, from milking, which must be exclusively from sheep and from the areas of origin (Tuscany and some neighboring municipalities in Lazio and Liguria), to aging.
The Fresh Pecorino Toscano it is a young cheese, with a minimum maturation period of 20 days and up to 45/60 days. Only calf rennet is used and salting lasts only one day. The taste of this cheese tends to be delicate; in its simplicity, it satisfies even the most demanding palates. The combination of tradition and modern technology results in a product of excellence, with an irresistible soft and sweet texture reminiscent of butter and hay. Definitely worth trying.