Cheese Profile - Pecorino Romano

The name literally means Roman (romano) Sheep (pecora), a famous and historic Italian cheese. This cheese was a staple of the legionaries and was made according to the same recipe used today. Popular in pasta, it's sadly overlooked for harmonious wine pairing and elegant cheese plates.

Type: Sheep

Taste: Very nutty flavor, with a definite sheepiness to it. The cheese has a strong salty flavor in the back as well. The texture is granular but gives way to melting in your mouth a bit.

Serve With: This cheese is perfect when finely grated over lightly sauteed vegetables. Some freshly cooked pasta, with olive oil, minced garlic, chili flakes and sheep's milk peccorino romano is is a wonderful. Add some fresh greens and maybe some shrimp or clams for a simple easy meal. For wine, dry reds or even a strong dry white wine would pair well for the intense salty flavor. Stick to Italian wines to help keep with country of origin.Photos by Elise Bauer

7 comments:

Maasikas said...

Just a little correction, though I'm guessing it was a typo: pecora = sheep in Italian. I personally enjoy pecorino far more than Parmigiano-Reggiano :-).

Kate said...

Beautiful photos! The second almost looks like the cheese is made of soft, grainy, snow. Yum!

Catherine said...

Hi, I'm 'tagging' you for a MeMe. I hope you'll play along. I've noted some people keep to a food theme and some do not.
Catherine at www.munchie-musings.blogstpot.com

Julie said...

I lean more towards the pecorino as well, it sharper and has more bite to it.

Amber said...

My favorite of all time...the best way to eat it for me is as we would have for breakfast every morning when I was in Italy. With some crusty bread, fresh tomatoes, and prosciutto. Mmmmmmmm!

Shankari said...

Love that second pic...

lcsa99 said...

Okay that's not fair. Your Picorino looks a hell of a lot prettier than anything they offer in my store. I bet it tastes better too. *sniff* ;)

I just need to start going to actual cheese shops