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Cheese from Italy, Abruzzo

Pecorino di Farindola

A raw sheep-milk cheese from the eastern slopes of the Gran Sasso, set with a home-made pig rennet macerated in vinegar, white wine and chilli. The milk is set at 36–37 °C in 20–30 minutes, the curd is cut to corn size, warmed under whey to 38–40 °C, put in rush baskets, scalded once more in whey and dry-salted over a day. It ripens from 4 months to a year at 10–14 °C.

Fully documentedCheese4.1 months – 12 monthsPAT (traditional agri-food product, Abruzzo)Family: Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe regional sheet gives the method, not a batch recipe. A cheese weighs 1–2 kg.
Raw whole sheep milk[pat-sheet]
Liquid pig rennetWashed pig stomach lining cut in strips, dry-salted 2–3 days, macerated at least 3–4 months in dark glass with white vinegar, white wine, hot chilli and sometimes peppercorns, filtered through linen 5–6 days before use; the dose depends on its strength and the milk's acidity[pat-sheet][tofalo2019]
Whey or milk starter (optional)Adds thermophilic lactic bacteria to help the souring[pat-sheet]
Salt[pat-sheet]
Olive oil and vinegarRubbed on the rind during ripening against mould and cracks[pat-sheet]
Starteroptional whey or milk starter (thermophilic lactic flora) according to the regional sheet; Tofalo et al. 2019 state no natural or commercial starter is used

Total time across the recorded steps: 4.1 months – 12 months

Start
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36–37 °C

What changes: Filtered raw sheep milk is warmed in the copper vat to 36–37 °C

Step 1 of 8
Filter and warm the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
36–37 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactic acid bacteria
Lactobacilli

Whey or milk starter may be added now to help the souring.

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

At a glance

A raw sheep-milk cheese from the eastern slopes of the Gran Sasso, set with a home-made pig rennet macerated in vinegar, white wine and chilli. The milk is set at 36–37 °C in 20–30 minutes, the curd is cut to corn size, warmed under whey to 38–40 °C, put in rush baskets, scalded once more in whey and dry-salted over a day. It ripens from 4 months to a year at 10–14 °C. Made in 8 steps over 4.1 months – 12 months. The longest step, wash and ripen, takes 4–12 months (Regione Abruzzo) and runs at 10–14 °C (Regione Abruzzo). Autochthonous lactic acid bacteria (lactococci and mesophilic lactobacilli were counted), which Tofalo et al. call the main shapers of the cheese's character does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step4–12 monthsReported[pat-sheet]Wash and ripen
Temperature10–14 °CReported[pat-sheet]Wash and ripen

What makes this one different

Set with pig rennet macerated in vinegar, wine and chilli, which gives its own smell and taste, and scalded twice, once as loose grains and again as a formed cheese in hot whey. It stays moist and crumbly even after long ripening.

Size
Cylinder 14–22 cm across and 7–8 cm high, 1–2 kg
Rind
Hard, ochre-yellow, with rush-basket marks; softer and paler when young
Rennet
Set with pig rennet, which ONAF calls a unique case in Italy; pig pepsin is unstable above pH 6.0 and does not clot milk above pH 6.7 (Tofalo et al.)

Related ferments

Variants

  • FrescoEaten young or just "incerato", with a softer paste and rind
  • StagionatoRipened 4 months to a year; harder and crumbly

Safety

Made from raw milk; the regional sheet requires approved premises and food-grade materials. Tofalo et al. measured high biogenic amine levels in long-ripened cheeses, putrescine reaching 400–732 mg/kg after 270 days.

History and sources

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

The regional sheet calls the use of pig rennet very old and the cheese one of the products that identify Abruzzo. A consortium of 26 producers now protects it.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Abruzzo, Prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali, sheet «Il Pecorino di Farindola» (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [tofalo2019] Tofalo R., Perpetuini G., Battistelli N., Pepe A., Ianni A., Martino G., Suzzi G. 2019, Accumulation γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Biogenic Amines in a Traditional Raw Milk Ewe's Cheese, Foods 8(9):401paper
  3. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet «Pecorino di Farindola»web
  4. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page «Pecorino di Farindola» (id 328)web