Pecorino Romano — The Other Hard Italian Cheese
Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty, sharp sheep’s milk (pecora = sheep) cheese with DOP status, produced in Lazio, Sardinia, and Tuscany. It is one of Italy’s oldest cheeses — Roman legions carried it as a daily ration. Its flavor is sharper, saltier, and more assertive than Parmigiano Reggiano, with a distinct barnyard quality that comes from sheep’s milk.
Pecorino vs Parmigiano — Which to Use?
In Roman pasta dishes — carbonara, cacio e pepe, amatriciana, gricia — Pecorino Romano is the authentic cheese, not Parmigiano. The sharpness and salt of Pecorino are integral to these dishes. Many recipes use a 50/50 blend of Pecorino and Parmigiano to balance salt and nuttiness.
Other Pecorino Varieties
Pecorino Toscano (Tuscan, milder, semi-aged), Pecorino Sardo (Sardinian, sweet when young), and Pecorino Siciliano (Sicilian, with black peppercorns) are all regional variations worth exploring.