🧀 Pecorino

Pecorino is the general name for Italian cheeses made from sheep’s milk (from pecora, “sheep”). In the EU, Pecorino Romano, Sardo, Toscano and Siciliano are registered as protected designations (all in 1996), along with smaller ones such as Pecorino di Filiano and di Picinisco.

Pecorino Romano is a hard cooked cheese made only from fresh whole sheep’s milk from farms in Lazio, Sardinia and the province of Grosseto. The milk is curdled at 38–40 °C with lamb rennet paste, the curd is heated to 45–48 °C, and the wheels are salted with dry salt or in brine. Under the 2009 specification the cheese is aged for at least 5 months (table cheese) or 8 months (for grating); a wheel weighs 20–35 kg. Although the name recalls Rome, in the 2025/26 season about 92% of Pecorino Romano (34.7 of 37.8 thousand tonnes) was made in Sardinia.

Other pecorinos are milder. Pecorino Toscano can be young (from 20 days) or aged (from 4 months); Pecorino Sardo “dolce” ripens for 20–60 days, “maturo” for more than 2 months. Pecorino Siciliano is poured into moulds that give the cheese its characteristic pattern. The rennet varies too: lamb, calf or vegetable.

Pecorino differs from Parmesan in its raw material — sheep’s rather than cow’s milk — and in its sharper, saltier taste. Pecorino Romano is grated over Roman pasta such as carbonara and cacio e pepe. According to the USDA, 100 g of American romano cheese contains 387 kcal, 31.8 g of protein, 1,060 mg of calcium and 1,430 mg of sodium.

Pecorino or Parmesan? The raw material decides it: pecorino is made from sheep's milk, Parmesan from cow's milk, and pecorino is sharper and saltier, which is why Rome grates it over carbonara and cacio e pepe. "Pecorino" is only a family name for Italian sheep's milk cheeses: Pecorino Romano is a hard, long-aged cheese, while Toscano can be eaten young after 20 days and Sardo "dolce" ripens in 20–60 days, so they taste milder.

The word "pecorino" on a label does not tell you which cheese it is: look for the full name, such as "Pecorino Romano", and the EU PDO symbol, protected designation of origin. The rind of Pecorino Romano carries the name, a logo with a sheep's head, the province and dairy code, and the month and year. You will find wedges and grated tubs at a supermarket cheese counter, and whole pieces at a delicatessen.

Why it matters to you. The word “pecorino” on a label does not tell you which cheese it is: look for the full name and the DOP mark. The rind of Pecorino Romano carries the name, a logo with a sheep’s head, the province and dairy code, and the month and year. According to USDA FoodKeeper, hard cheeses keep in the fridge for up to 6 months in their original packaging and 3–4 weeks after opening.