Pecorino toscano () is a firm sheep milk cheese from Tuscany.[ www.formaggio.it, Pecorino Toscano (in Italian)] Since 1996 it has enjoyed protected designation of origin (PDO) status.
History
Pliny the Elder, in his major encyclopaedic work
Naturalis Historia, describes several stages in the production of
pecorino toscano, which he names as
Lunense, apparently after the territory of
Lunigiana.
Other early names of the cheese include
marzolino, after the month of March (
marzo in Italian) in which production traditionally began.
In 1475 the writer Bartolomeo Platina said that the Etruscan marzolino was as good as Parmesan: "In Italy there are two types of cheese that compete for the first place: marzolino, so called by the Etruscans because it is made in Etruria in March, and Parmesan cheese, from the Cisalpine Gaul region, that is also known as maggengo, because it is produced in May ( maggio in Italian)."
Today, this style of pecorino is widely produced across Tuscany and also in several nearer districts of Umbria and Lazio regions.
Production
According to a 1997 estimate by the Italian dairy producers' association, Assolatte, annual production of
pecorino toscano was .
This ranks the cheese as the third-highest sheep's cheese in Italy, the largest being
pecorino romano () and
pecorino sardo ().
See also
-
List of Italian cheeses
-
List of Italian DOP cheeses – food with protected designation of origin status
-
Pecorino – hard Italian sheep's milk cheese
