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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from the Mediterranean, Iberia, the Pyrenees and the Balkans

Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates)Pecorino Romano

Whole ewe milk is set with rennet, often lamb rennet paste, and the fine curd is stirred and warmed, from about 28–40 °C for Manchego to 45–48 °C for Pecorino Romano. The curd is pressed in patterned moulds, salted in brine or dry, and aged from a month to two years. Made in 6 steps over 30 days – 3.3 months. The longest step, salt, takes 3 h – 2.3 months (Consejo Regulador DOP Queso Manchego 2025). Salt is up to 2.3 % (Consejo Regulador DOP Queso Manchego 2025). Streptococcus thermophilus and Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. lactis and Enterococcus faecium do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3 h – 2.3 monthsReported[manchego-pliego][romano-onaf]Salt
Temperature28–40 °CReported[manchego-pliego][romano-onaf]Set the milk with rennet
Saltup to 2.3 %Set[manchego-pliego]Salt
AciditypH 4.8–5.8Set[manchego-pliego]Age
Fully documentedCheese30 days – 3.3 months

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedFamily template, so the ingredients are the ones hard ewe cheeses share. The specifications read give no amounts.
Whole ewe milk · Manchego PDO: Manchega ewes, at least 6.5 % fat and 4.5 % protein; Pecorino Romano PDO: raw or thermised at no more than 68 °C for 15 s[manchego-pliego][romano-onaf]
Lactic starter · Pecorino Romano PDO: scotta-innesto, a natural culture grown daily on whey from ricotta making[romano-onaf][chessa2021]
Rennet · Pecorino Romano PDO: lamb rennet paste from suckling lambs of the area; Manchego PDO: natural rennet or authorised enzymes[romano-onaf][manchego-pliego]
Salt · Dry, in brine, or both[manchego-pliego][romano-onaf]
Starter: natural thermophilic culture (scotta-innesto in Pecorino Romano) or mesophilic lactococci (Manchego)

Total time across the recorded steps: 30 days – 3.3 months

Start
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28–40 °CpH 6.5–7shapes, not to countS. thermophilusL. delbrueckiiEnterococcus faeciumL. reuteri

What changes: Starter and rennet go into warm ewe milk and it sets to a firm gel

Step 1 of 6
Set the milk with rennet
Time
30 min – 1 h
Reported
Temperature
28–40 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
pH 6.5–7
Set
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
S. thermophilus
L. delbrueckii
Enterococcus faecium
L. reuteri
Lactobacilli

Output: curd.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
firm gel; ewe milk is rich in protein
Colour
white

Microbes at work in this step

the starter begins souring the milk

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

The milk is whole ewe milk, rich in fat and protein, and many members use lamb or kid rennet paste, which breaks down fat for a sharp taste. Pecorino Romano is cooked hotter and salted for weeks; Manchego is set cooler and brined for hours.

Related ferments

Variants

  • Fiore Sardo PDORaw ewe milk, lamb rennet paste, lightly smoked.
  • Idiazabal PDOLatxa and Carranzana ewes in the Basque Country; often smoked.
  • Pecorino Toscano, Pecorino Siciliano, Canestrato PuglieseRegional Italian pecorini; Canestrato keeps basket marks.
  • Kefalotyri, GravieraGreek hard sheep cheeses.
  • Ossau-Iraty PDOBasque and Béarn pressed uncooked ewe cheese.

Made the hard pressed ewe cheese family way

Safety

Hard ewe cheeses are pressed and aged, and the UK NHS lists hard cheeses as safe in pregnancy, unpasteurised or not. Manchego PDO sets a limit of 100 cfu/g for coagulase-positive staphylococci in the cheese.

Hazards the sources name: Coagulase-positive staphylococci from milk or handling; Manchego PDO allows at most 100 cfu/g; Clostridium spores in ewe milk (mainly C. sporogenes), which cause late blowing in Manchego.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Pecorino Romano is commonly said to have been a Roman legionary ration.

  1. [manchego-pliego] Consejo Regulador DOP Queso Manchego, Pliego de condiciones DOP Queso Manchego (text in force 2025), via Junta de Comunidades de Castilla-La Manchaspec
  2. [romano-onaf] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), Pecorino Romano DOP technical sheet, restating the PDO specificationother
  3. [chessa2021] Chessa L., Paba A., Daga E., Dupré I., Comunian R. 2021, Biodiversity and safety assessment of half-century preserved natural starter cultures for Pecorino Romano PDO cheese, Microorganisms 9:1363paper
  4. [poveda2014] Poveda J.M., Nieto-Arribas P., Seseña S. et al. 2014, Volatile composition and improvement of the aroma of industrial Manchego cheese by using Lactobacillus paracasei subsp. paracasei as adjunct and other autochthonous strains as starters, European Food Research and Technology, doi:10.1007/s00217-013-2127-2paper
  5. [garde2011] Garde S., Arias Mendoza R., Gaya P., Núñez M. 2011, Occurrence of Clostridium spp. in ovine milk and Manchego cheese with late blowing defect, International Dairy Journal, doi:10.1016/j.idairyj.2010.11.003paper
  6. [nhs-preg] NHS (UK), Foods to avoid in pregnancy (cheese section)gov