Even though our roots are in the land of the cheesehead, we aren’t talking Cheddar or the foam hat varietal.  Today we are talking Italian cheese called Pecorino.  Pecorino is the name given to all cheese  made from ewe’s (sheep) milk.

There are 4 main types of Pecorino however the one most often available in the US is the Pecorino Romano.  The other 3 are Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino Tuscano and Pecorino Siciliano.  From their names you can guess that they come from different parts of Italy, Sardinia, Tuscany and Sicily.  Each of these cheeses come in different styles depending on how long they have aged.  The most mature is known as stagionato (seasoned or aged) are to die for!  We’re talking a hard crumbly cheese with nutty and buttery flavors.  These cheese are often served after dinner with pears, walnuts and a bit of honey…but we like them just about anytime especially with a bit of Italian red wine!

One can find this lovely cheese in stores, deli’s and of course on market day but how cool would it be to go right to the source?  That’s right, nothing could be better than visiting a local pecorino cheese farmer, have him show you how the cheese is made and then sit down and do some sampling with him.  These out of the ordinary experiences are the things that make a trip special.