Pecorino Sardo — Aging Stages and Uses
Sardinia — the sheep farming tradition of the island is ancient; Sardinia produces more sheep's milk per capita than any other European region. DOP status since 1996.
Pecorino Sardo DOP is made from whole raw or pasteurised Sardinian sheep's milk — the sheep of the Sardinian interior are among the most numerous and best-maintained flocks in Europe, and the milk reflects their diet of aromatic macchia (scrubland herbs). Pecorino Sardo exists in two forms: Dolce (aged 20-60 days, pale, mild, semi-firm) and Maturo (aged 2-12 months, from compact and tangy at 2 months to hard, crumbly, and intensely sharp at 12 months). The Maturo is used as a grating cheese across Sardinian pasta and as an eating cheese.
Young Dolce: mild, milky, with a floral and herbaceous note from the macchia diet — pleasant without complexity. Maturo at 6 months: compact, slightly crumbly, with a salt-and-sheep richness and a moderate sharpness. At 12 months: intensely sharp, almost granular, with the full aromatic complexity of aged sheep's milk — a grating cheese of real character.
Raw Sardinian sheep's milk carries the flavour of the island's aromatic vegetation — wild thyme, rosemary, macchia. This flavour transfers to the young cheese and intensifies with aging. The rind of Pecorino Sardo Maturo is rubbed with olive oil as it ages, which slows rind formation and prevents the crust from becoming too thick — producing a more even aging across the entire cheese. The young Dolce is elastic and mild enough to use as a melting cheese (in sebadas, in malloreddus filling, in pane carasau preparations). The aged Maturo grates like Parmigiano but tastes entirely different — saltier, sharper, more animal.
The rind of Pecorino Sardo Maturo can be used to flavour soups and bean dishes — add a shard to the pot during cooking and remove before serving. The macchia-fed sheep's milk flavour is most intense in spring cheeses (April-May) when the herbs are at their most aromatic. Pair Maturo with corbezzolo honey — the bitter honey and the salty, tangy cheese is the classic Sardinian cheese table combination.
Using young Pecorino Sardo in place of Maturo as a grating cheese — the flavour is too mild and the water content too high. Storing Maturo at room temperature — it dries out quickly; wrap tightly and refrigerate. Substituting Pecorino Romano (made in Lazio) for Sardinian Pecorino — the flavour is different; Romano is saltier and more assertive.
Patrick McGuigan, The Art of Cheese; Slow Food Editore, Sardegna in Cucina
- Hard, aged sheep's milk cheese from island Mediterranean flocks — both Pecorino Sardo and kefalotyri are the hard grating cheeses of their respective island-sheep-farming traditions; similar milk source, similar aging principles, different rind treatment → Kefalotyri Greek
- Aged sheep's milk DOP cheese — Manchego and Pecorino Sardo are the two most recognised European aged sheep's milk cheeses; the Sardinian sheep's macchia diet produces a more complex, herbal flavour than the Castilian sheep's grain-supplemented diet → Manchego Curado Spanish
Common Questions
Why does Pecorino Sardo — Aging Stages and Uses taste the way it does?
Young Dolce: mild, milky, with a floral and herbaceous note from the macchia diet — pleasant without complexity. Maturo at 6 months: compact, slightly crumbly, with a salt-and-sheep richness and a moderate sharpness. At 12 months: intensely sharp, almost granular, with the full aromatic complexity of aged sheep's milk — a grating cheese of real character.
What are common mistakes when making Pecorino Sardo — Aging Stages and Uses?
Using young Pecorino Sardo in place of Maturo as a grating cheese — the flavour is too mild and the water content too high. Storing Maturo at room temperature — it dries out quickly; wrap tightly and refrigerate. Substituting Pecorino Romano (made in Lazio) for Sardinian Pecorino — the flavour is different; Romano is saltier and more assertive.
What dishes are similar to Pecorino Sardo — Aging Stages and Uses?
Kefalotyri, Manchego Curado