Pecorino romano
	Product: A Denominazione di Origine Controllata cheese with a semi-cooked paste.
	Shape: The cheese is cylindrical in shape with flat faces.
	Milk: The cheese is made entirely from the milk of ewes. The raw material is produced by several thousand farms, where the sheep are allowed to graze freely in natural pastures. The cheese is produced from November to June.
	Origin: The Agro Romano (the agricultural heartland in Latium of the city of Rome in ancient times) has been clearly identified as the zone of origin and accounts for the second half of the cheese's name, with the first indicating that sheep's milk is used in its production. It is now made throughout Latium as well as on Sardinia, which has been the leading production center since the last century.
	Form and Dimensions: Forms range from 14 to 22 centimeters (5 1/2-8 3/4 inches) in height. The weight generally varies from 18 to 22 kilos (39.6-48.4 pounds) for the normal type and from 25 to 35 kilos (55-77 pounds) for the giant size.
	Characteristics: The rather granular paste is usually compact, has tiny pores and is white or straw-yellow in color. The crust is smooth and straw-yellow or more or less intense brown in color. The cheese has a fragrant aroma and it is usually piquant in flavor.
	Aging or Ripening: Ripening requires a great deal of time, as much as eight months.
	Consumption: Pecorino is a table cheese that is much appreciated for its forthright flavor. But it is also excellent when grated and used as an ingredient of many dishes.
	Processing: The freshly collected milk is carefully strained and poured into a caldron, where a natural culture of lactic yeasts is blended into it. Soon afterward, lamb rennet is added to the milk. After they have been broken up, the curds are heated to a temperature of about 45° (113° F.). The cheese is then put into the appropriate molds. Weights are put on the molds, which are laid out on grates. The cheeses are dry salted, a process that is repeated numerous times over a period of about two months.
	Nutritional Value: The cheese features a high protein content and is also rich in fat-soluble vitamins A and D. It also contains a great deal of phosphorus and calcium.
	History: Pecorino is one of the world's oldest cheeses, since it was being produced in the early Roman Empire. The technique used by the ancient shepherds of Latium to make pecorino was described by numerous writers like Varro, Galen, Hypocrites and Pliny the Elder. In his book on agriculture, written in the 1st century, Columella provided a detailed description of how the cheese was made and reported that it was considered, even then, a major export item. Among the worthies of the ancient world who greatly appreciated pecorino was the famous poet Virgil. The cheese was so highly regarded that a ration of 27 grams (nearly one ounce) was distributed daily to each Roman legionnaire as part of his subsistence allowance.
	Gastronomy: The cheese is an essential element of many typical preparations. In the spring in Latium, it is a traditional practice to consume the cheese along with home-made bread and fresh fava beans, accompanied by a good wine.
	Storage: It is best to wrap the cheese is heavy paper and store it in the lower part of the refrigerator.
	Disciplinare DOP - IGP: Pecorino Romano About Italian cheese
	Il Pecorino Romano è un formaggio che vanta origini lontane nel tempo; era, infatti, già apprezzato nei palazzi imperiali dell’antica Roma, dove era considerato il giusto accompagnamento alle gustose pietanze servite durante i banchetti. Inoltre, grazie alle sue capacità nutritive e alla praticità della conservazione, veniva usato come alimento base durante i viaggi delle legioni romane. Prodotto esclusivamente da latte di pecore allevate nei pascoli naturali del Lazio, della Sardegna e della provincia di Grosseto, il Pecorino Romano, per la sua versatilità e per le sue caratteristiche nutrizionali, è diventato un ingrediente indispensabile di molte ricette regionali e nazionali.  Come si consuma  Il Pecorino Romano, dopo solo cinque mesi di stagionatura, può essere consumato come formaggio da tavola, accompagnato da frutta e verdure fresche. Superati invece gli otto mesi di stagionatura, viene usato come formaggio da grattugia, condendo i piatti tipici della cucina romana, come l’Amatriciana o gli spaghetti “cacio e pepe”, e persino primi piatti a base di pesce.  Come si conserva  È buona regola conservare il Pecorino Romano in un luogo fresco e asciutto, avvolto nell’involucro d’acquisto o in carta argentata. In periodi caldi, può essere conservato in frigorifero, ma nello scomparto meno freddo, così da non alterarne il sapore. Come si produce  Il Pecorino Romano si ottiene da latte di pecora intero, ed è prodotto tra ottobre e luglio di ogni anno. La pasta, ottenuta dal latte addizionato al caglio di agnello, viene sottoposta prima a cottura, a una temperatura tra i 45 e i 48°C, e successivamente a rottura fino a determinare granuli delle dimensioni di un chicco di riso. Quindi viene pressata e poi salata, prevalentemente a secco, per almeno 70 giorni. Il periodo di stagionatura, che se prolungato accentua il sapore piccante della pasta, ha una durata che va da un minimo di 5 mesi per il formaggio da tavola a 8 mesi per quello da grattugia.  Il marchio Dop è apposto sulle forme con una apposita matrice che imprime la denominazione di origine del formaggio e il logo del consorzio oltre alla sigla del caseificio produttore e alla data di produzione.