Characteristics
Pecorino Toscano PDO is soft cheese (minimum maturation of 20 days) or a semi-hard cheese (minimum maturation of 4 months), produced exclusively with whole sheep’s milk from the region of Tuscany and some neighboring municipalities in the province of Viterbo, in the region of Lazio and the provinces of Perugia and Terni, in the region of Umbria. It has a cylindrical shape with flat faces and a slightly convex heel.
The diameter ranges from 15 to 22 cm and weight varies from 0.75 to 3.50 kg. It is characterized by a yellow crust. The paste has a compact structure, tender when cut and white to slightly straw-colored for the Tenero type; tenacious when cut, slightly straw-colored or straw-colored and with possibly small, irregularly distributed holes for the Stagionato type. The flavor is sweet, never savory or spicy, fragrant and pronounced, depending on the particular processing procedures.
