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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Italy, Lazio

Formaggio e caciotta di pecora sott'olio

Small ewe-milk cheeses of about half a kilo are set with lamb or kid rennet, pressed into baskets, salted and ripened for one to six months. They are then cut into pieces and kept in jars of local extra-virgin olive oil for many more months, sometimes with black peppercorns in the curd. Made in 9 steps over 4 months – 18 months. The longest step, cut and keep under oil, takes 3–12 months (ARSIAL (Regione Lazio)). Native lactic acid bacteria of the raw milk, where no culture is added and Added mesophilic lactic cultures do most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step3–12 monthsSet[arsial-sott][onaf-sott]Cut and keep under oil
Temperature35–38 °CSet[arsial-sott]Add rennet

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe regional atlas describes the method with no batch size. Each cheese weighs about 0.5 kg.
Whole ewe milk · Two milkings from grazing ewes; worked raw or pasteurised[arsial-sott][onaf-sott]
Mesophilic starter · Optional; added at 36 °C where it is used (Poggio Mirteto)[arsial-sott][onaf-sott]
Rennet · Powder rennet mixed half and half with lamb paste rennet, or kid paste rennet[arsial-sott]
Salt · Dry salt, or saturated brine[arsial-sott]
Black peppercorns · Optional; mixed into the curd before moulding[arsial-sott][onaf-sott]
Local extra-virgin olive oil · To cover the cut cheese[arsial-sott][onaf-sott]
Starter: none in raw-milk dairies (Atina, Picinisco) or mesophilic cultures (Poggio Mirteto), plus lamb or kid paste rennet

Total time across the recorded steps: 4 months – 18 months

Start
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What changes: Starting material: whole milk from grazing ewes

Step 1 of 9
Collect the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria

Milk from two milkings of ewes kept on pasture; only the evening milk is chilled. It is filtered through a cloth and worked raw, or pasteurised (ONAF gives 70 °C at Poggio Mirteto). Output: whole ewe milk.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

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 cheese itself is a small Lazio pecorino; what sets it apart is the finish. After ripening it is cut and covered with local olive oil for half a year or more, a way of keeping it that also softens and flavours it.

Milk
Whole ewe milk, raw or pasteurised
Ripening
30 days to 3 months (or 3–6 months by area), then 6–12 months under oil
Size
About 0.5 kg; small cylinder with basket marks

Related ferments

Safety

When the milk is raw, ANSES advises pregnant women, people over 65, people with weak immunity and young children to avoid raw-milk cheeses. The cheese is fully ripened before it goes into oil.

Hazards the sources name: Listeria monocytogenes, Salmonella and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli, the main hazards ANSES names for raw-milk cheeses.

History and sources

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

The regional atlas records the cheese from oral and local tradition, with traces in village archives, and likens it to the "pecorino del pastore" listed in INSOR's atlas of Italian cheeses.

  1. [arsial-sott] ARSIAL (Regione Lazio), Lazio patrimonio agroalimentare - tra biodiversità e tradizione, Formaggi, Formaggio e caciotta di pecora sott'olio, p. 160gov
  2. [onaf-sott] ONAF, Formaggio e caciotta di pecora sott'olio, technical sheet (PAT Regione Lazio)web
  3. [montel2014] Montel M.C. et al. 2014, Traditional cheeses - rich and diverse microbiota with associated benefits, International Journal of Food Microbiology 177:136-154 (abstract)paper
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov