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Showing results for tags 'Sheeps Milk'.
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Unlike my write-ups about Comté and Manchego, Pecorino - and most certainly Pecorino Romano - is not even close to being the largest-production DOP (Denominazione Origine Protetta) cheese in Italy. Right off the bat, Parmigiano-Reggiano comes to mind, and you also have cheeses (some DOP, some not) such as Mozzarella and Provolone, most of which are bastardized and mass-produced for export, or even made in America, but if you had the real thing, locally, it would be a mind-blowing experience. This reminds me of when I had dinner at Marc Veyrat in Annecy. At the end of the greatest meal I've ever had, a gentleman came by, pushing a cheese cart the size of an upright piano, asking us which cheeses we'd like. Eager to show my love of Haute-Savoie, I chirped, 'We'd like to try an assortment of local cheeses - except for Reblochon, because we can get that in America.' I was met with a moment of silence, accompanied by a look that only the French are capable of producing: The look is a mixture of sympathy, concern, and condescension, all at once, and somehow not conveyed as the least bit condescending. The gentleman looked me dead in the eye, and said, without any hint of expression on his face: "Get the Reblochon." Needless to say, we did, and it was one the happiest moments of my life (I mean that seriously). Never before had I truly eaten Reblochon, and I would have never known had it not been for that gentleman. It was like nothing of this earth - a revelation that ... what the hell am I talking about? Genuine Pecorino Romano must (*must*) be made from the milk of sheep raised in Lazio or Sardinia (yes, Sardinia) - there's also a Pecorino Sardo, but Pecorino Romano can be made in both places). It must be made with the rennet of lambs raised in the same area, and is therefore not vegetarian-friendly. Let me also stress, from personal experience, that real Pecorino Romano is salty as *hell*. Remember this, and don't say you weren't warned! Fulvi is a producer of cheese owned by the Sini family (this webpage has been translated for readability). It is easily recognizable by the ship's anchor used as a logo, indicating sea transportation of their product: Given its saltiness and firm texture - not to mention its proximity to Rome - it's easy to see why this is often used as a grating cheese (hell, you wouldn't need to salt your pasta). Pecorino Romano is saltier, and less rich, than other Pecorino cheeses - it has been made since the days of the Ancient Roman Empire - in fact, it was fed to their soldiers as a means of quick, inexpensive protein. Here's a good, concise history of the cheese that is well-worth the two minutes it will take you to read - that website also has a few links in case you want to dig deeper. How many other cheeses of the world has *Homer* written about? And I'm not talking about this guy:
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Since I waxed poetic (or waned pathetic, take your pick) about my little wedge of Comté, the largest-production A.O.C. Cheese in France, I figure I might as well do the same for my little wedge of Manchego, the largest-production D.O. Cheese in Spain. I purchased this El Trigal ("The Wheatfield") Manchego from Whole Foods, at the same time I purchased my block of Comté. These legendary cheeses are both semi-firm, and are more resilient to damage than soft, buttery, cow's-milk cheese (Comté is made from cow's milk, but isn't "soft and buttery"; Manchego is made from 100% Manchega sheep (both words, Manchego and Manchega, mean "from La Mancha"). "Quesos Corcuera," (<--- click for their website, which has a wealth of information available in English) makers of El Trigal, was founded 70 years ago in the town of La Puebla de Montalbán, near Toledo, in the region of Castilla-La Mancha, Spain, by a gentleman named Don Eusebio Corcuera. It has been passed down, and is now run by his daughter, Carmen, after his sons, Ramon and Carlos, passed away. It is now one of the five-largest producers of cheese in Spain, and one of Don Eusebio's grandchildren is actively involved with the company. There are currently 27 D.O. ("Denominación de Origen")-regulated cheeses in Spain, and as stated above, Manchego is the largest-production D.O. cheese in Spain (A.O.C. and D.O. are each country's version of essentially the same thing: government-regulated and protected cheeses (as well as other products)). Again, instead of merely copying down the D.O. requirements, I'll link to them here. The term "P.D.O." is an EU (European-Union) term that's similar to - and might be the same as - "D.O.," but D.O. was around long before P.D.O., so that's the one I tend to focus on; I suspect there's just another layer of bureaucracy associated with P.D.O. status. There are at least three different "ages" of Manchego, all of which are produced by Quesos Corcuera: 1) Semi-Curado (around 3 months) 2) Curado (around 6 months) and 3) Viejo (around 1 year). Manchego *must* be aged between 60 days and 2 years (it can be aged only 30 days for cheeses weighing less than 1.5 kg). The aging requirements are covered in the D.O. link in the above paragraph. There's also a "Fresco" that's produced for local consumption, which is aged for about 2 weeks, but to the best of my knowledge, this isn't found outside of Spain, and isn't a D.O. Manchego. This is the equivalent of drinking a Beaujolais Nouveau - something fresh, fruity, and quaffable; not meant to be scrutinized too closely, but perfectly fine for everyday dining at home (at least, that's my guess). If you put a piece of Comté and Manchego side-by-side, and are told which is which, there's nobody in the world who couldn't tell the difference between the two. If you're a complete cheese novice, you may want to do this as an exercise - you'll see that you "get it," and I promise you that you'll identify them correctly each and every time. There's no "roughness" whatsoever in a Comté, whereas there's no "smoothness" whatsoever in a Manchego - and I'm just talking about texture and appearance. Why *not* embark on your newfound hobby with these two cheeses? They're found everywhere, and despite their ubiquity, are world-class cheeses that even the most insufferable cheese snob would respect and enjoy.
