PECORINO DI PIENZA

Siena's cheese

Dairy products, together with wine are the spearheads of Tuscan culinary tradition. When you talk of Tuscany it is impossible not to mention the cheese; the cheese is a product of innumerable shades can be found: seasoned, semi-hard, hard, spicy, under Walnut leaves or spicy.

Cheese is a delicacy that ties the Tuscany to Sardinia. In the 1950s, the Sardinians who were abandoning their land in Exchange for land plots in Tuscany brought with them the traditions and their sheep, going to create this blend of flavors and cultures. The goodness of the Palata of the city of Pienza, a UNESCO World Heritage site steeped in Val d'Orcia is also due to the type of erbaggio grazed by sheep (the Issa, the barbabecco and the menastro). Pecorino di Pienza (called in Tuscany "cacio"), is a hard cheese whose raw material is pasteurized milk by Sardinian breed sheep. Is eaten alone, accompanied by fresh and genuine jams or locally produced honeys.

Is a particular pecorino as linked to the tradition of maturing in barrels. But what is it specifically? This variety of cheese aging takes place in oak barrels for at least 90 days. The barrels had been previously used for wines such as Brunello di Montalcino or Nobile di Montepulciano. This second seasoning the cheese undergoes, giving it a smooth and tannic than pomace , giving the flesh of hues.