Parmesan cheese, more correctly called Parmigano Reggiano, is considered by many to be the king of cheeses. This could well be to with the fact that it has many qualities. In particularly, it comes in different forms depending on how long it has been aged and so has many different uses.

It’s no surprise than that many attempts have been made to copy this cheese to capitalise on it’s success. Indeed, so much so, that Parmesan has become a generic name for all these counterfeit cheeses and real Parmesan is actually the aforementioned Parmigano Reggiano.

This all being said there are other types of Italian cheese that can be used as an alternative to Parmesan. One of these is Pecorino Toscano.

Cow’s Cheese vs Sheep’s Cheese

Parmigano Reggiano is traditionally made out of milk from cows. However, by definition Pecorino Toscano is made from sheep’s milk (Pecora being the Italian word for sheep).

Obviously, the type of milk that a cheese is made from influences greatly the taste of the final product (especially seeing as cheese is in essence a one ingredient product!). Certainly, a difference in taste can be detected between Parmigano Reggiano and Pecorino Toscano.

This difference is most pronounced in less well matured versions, where, as is often the case for sheep’s milk cheeses, the Pecorino cheese has a stronger, more tangy flavour compared to it’s cow’s milk counterpart.

This difference (in my opinion at least!) doesn’t disqualify Pecorino Toscano though as an able substitute for Parmigano Reggiano. It has many qualities to endear itself, and in the mature version at least, a certain similarity to Parmigano Reggiano. Indeed, by the time the two cheeses have matured the taste, not to mention the consistency of the cheeses have become similar.

The Makings of Pecorino Toscano

The process for making Pecorino Toscano is not dissimilar to that for making Parmigano Reggiano, although that is not surprising as in essence the process for making most medum to hard cheeses is similar and indeed it is usually just the differences in nuances that give rise to the wide variety of cheeses available.

As a rule pasteurised milk is used for safety reasons as it kills off potentially harmful bacteria. (Some small-scale cheesemakers prefer to use raw milk as the extra bacteria can add to the taste of the final product, but it is hard to find such raw milk cheeses on sale in the common market).

Liquid calf’s rennet is added to the milk, which has been heated to between 35 and 38 degrees celsius. This causes the milk to coagulate in around 25 minutes.

The next stage has two variations depending on the final product desired. The solid curd produced by coagulation can be broken up into hzel-nut sized lumps if a softer final cheese is intended. (The bigger lumps allow more moisture to be retained). Alternatively, if a semi-hard cheese is wanted, the curd can be broken into smaller pieces, and maybe reheated. This is to expel more moisture from the curd, aiding the drying and maturing process. With Parmigano Reggiano usually only long term matured cheeses are produced, so the curd at this stage is normally broken up into small rice granule sized pieces.

For Pecorino Toscano, the curd is then put into cheese hoops and then pressed manually, or by steam treatment, for between 30 minutes and three and a half hours. This expels even more moisture.

The curd is then immersed in a salt solution for 8 hours for soft Pecorino and 12 to 14 hours for the harder version.

The final stage of the manufacturing process is to leave the cheese in a cellar at 8-10 degrees celsius and humidity of 80-90%. For softer cheeses, twenty days is enough to mature it. Harder cheeses require at least four months.

For the making of Parmigiano Reggiano see here.

The Naming of Pecorino Toscano

Pecorino Toscano has only actually been called this since after the Second World War. Over the years it has had something of an identity crisis.

In ancient times it seems to have been called Lunense, or at least the version of it made in the area of Lunigiana described by an ancient author, Pliny the Elder.

Later on in history, it would appear that the cheese took on the name of Marzolino, which reflected the fact that production used to begin in the month of March.

Interestingly, Bartolomeo Platina in 1475 compared Marzolino cheese to Maggnego, another name for Parmesan cheese, this one refelecting the fact some Parmesan was made in May, and saying that these two cheeses compete for sumpremacy amongst Italian cheeses.

Finally, up until fairly recently, throughout Tuscany different cheeses were produced, but using variations on the aforementioed technique for making Pecorino Toscano, and each one going by a name contianing Cacio and a reference to the area where it was made.

Eventually though, standardisation came, something attested to by the DOP label which is officially carried by all authentic Pecorino Toscano and means that the cheese has been made in a certain area, using verified techniques.

The Using of Pecorino Toscano

The real rivalry with Parmesan appears though when we talk about grating. Once Pecorino Toscano is well aged it forms a hard structure and strong flavour which is well suited to grating over all sorts of pasta dishes. This is obviously the strong point of Parmigiano Reggiano too.

Parmigiano Reggiano maybe has a slight edge on Pecorino Toscano as it can be aged for longer and develop an even more exquiste crystaline structure, which is great for grating (excuse the pun!) but this all adds to the cost.

The Final Verdict

Overall, as we have seen, Pecorino Toscano and Parmigian Reggiano (i.e. Parmesan) are very similar cheeses, certainly at least in terms of production and the final product when it comes to well matured versions.

There are perhaps slight variations in flavour and structure, which arguably give Parmigano the edge, but because of it’s reputation, Parmigian Reggiano is often more expensive than Pecorino Toscano, so Pecorino Toscano can be thought of as great, slightly cheaper cheese alternative to Parmesan.

At the end of the day, it’s ultimately upto personal preference and, as mentioned earlier, for at least five hundred years people have been debating which is best, Pecorino Toscano or Parmesan, so it’s obviously a close call!