We don’t usually think of cheeses belonging to families. But actually, cheeses can be classified into different groups, using different criteria, such as the production method used or firmness of the resulting cheese.

One other way of grouping cheeses is based on the source of the milk used for producing the cheese. Such a classification gives rise to the Italian Pecorino cheese family. Pecora is the Italian word for sheep and so Pecorino cheese is cheese made from Sheep’s (i.e. Ewe’s) milk.

Due to the diversity of cheese across Italy, but similarity in production techniques, there are many different types of cheese made from Ewe’s milk, many of them known under the name of Pecorino. One of them is Pecorino Abruzzese.

The Abruzzo Region of Italy

To someone unfamiliar with the geography of Italy, this might seem like an obscure name. However, once one is aware that there is a region in south central Italy called Abruzzo, things become a bit clearer. Evidently, Pecorino Abruzzese is Pecorino cheese made in Abruzzo!

The Abruzzo region has a number of notable cheeses, although all but two (Caciocavallo di Agnone and Stracciata) are linked in some way to Ewe’s milk and so are Pecorino type cheeses.

Of these, Pecorino Abruzzese, as the name suggests, can be considered the standard version of Pecorino cheese from the area.

A Flagship Cheese

Pecorino Abruzzese is made from ewe’s milk (worth taking into consideration that these are ewe’s that have been grazed in the Abruzzo area due to the difficulties in transporting milk long distances thus the milk takes on board flavours characteristic to the region). It is made using a fairly standard Pecorino method.

Rennet, an enzyme that coagulates milk i.e. causes the casein protein in it to solidify and come out of solution, is added to ewe’s milk that hasn’t been pasteurised. The milk is treated raw so that it contains more bacteria that help in the maturation process. The rennet is added in liquid form and can be lamb’s or kid’s (i.e. baby goats!) rennet.

Before the rennet is added, the milk is heated to 38 degrees Celsius. This increases the acidity of the milk, something which also aids the coagulation process. After the rennet is added, the solution is left for around an hour.

Once this time has passed, the milk has formed a gel due to the protein solidifying. The solid part of the gel is called curd. By hand, this curd is broken up into large lumps and allowed to stand. This initiates the process of the solid curd separating from the liquid part, known as whey.

Next, the curd is hand pressed to further drain it of whey. It is placed in rush baskets and once again pressed. This is followed by brief immersion in boiling whey. This alters the bacterial make-up of the curd and so influences the maturing process.

After cooking, the curd is left for two days to dry and finally salted by being placed in a brine (i.e. salt solution) bath.

The Final Touch

As with most cheeses (the exception being fresh cheeses that are eaten straight after production, such as Mozzarella) a key aspect of production is the maturation period.

In the case of Pecorino Abruzzese, once the curd has been extracted from the milk and processed in the above mentioned way, it remains to be left to mature in order to perfect the final product.
Pecorino Abruzzese is generally left for 20 days in a warm, well-aired room, after which time it is consumable. However, in order to enhance the final cheeses, they are usually left for a further month and rubbed with olive oil, before being given the go ahead to be sold and consumed.

Vital Statistics

The finished cheese has a hard rind that forms during the aging process. It is wrinkled and brownish in colour with occasional growths of (non-harmful) bacteria.

The body, or flesh, of the cheese is firm and straw-coloured (i.e a pale yellow). The cheeses are flat and cylindrical, and can have a diameter of up to 14-22 cm.

The height of Pecorino Abruzzese cheeses is usually between 4 and 10 cm and weight between 1 to 3 kg.

The production area is all over the Abruzzo region of Italy.

One Among Many

As mentioned in the beginning of this article, all over Italy very many different types of Pecorino cheese are made. Some use a standard method of production similar to the one described here above. Others however, introduce regional and technical variations to the method, resulting in a host of different cheeses, based nevertheless on a basic theme.

A number of these Pecorino cheeses are what’s called PDO cheeses. This stands for Protected Designation of Origin. In other words, some Pecorino cheeses have a legally protected status, which means they can only be produced in certain areas of Italy, using carefully controlled ingredients and methods of production. Of these special PDO status cheeses, Pecorino Romano is probably the most famous.

Whilst Pecorino Abruzzese belongs to this illustrious Pecorino cheese family, it hasn’t quite reached the heights of this PDO status. This means to say that the way it is made is not so rigorously controlled as some other cheeses. However, it doesn’t necessarily follow that Pecorino Abruzzese isn’t worth a try. Indeed, the lack of PDO makes it in some respects even more of a specialist cheese as it is not so well known or widely produced and sold.

More so than that, in Abruzzo there are a number of other Pecorino cheeses made. Pecorino Abruzzese is however the standard (as the name suggests) on which these other Abruzzo cheeses are based.

All in all then, Pecorino Abruzzese is a good example of a traditional local Pecorino cheese, which merits being given ago if the opportunity arises. It is a standard which can give a flavour of Abruzzo cheeses as a whole and also a good entry in the Parthenon of Pecorino cheeses, which any dedicated Italian cheeseaholic should give ago!