Cacio e fichi aged Pecorino
Italy
This cheese is made in an artisan cheese-factory in Tuscany using an innovative recipe. The traditional skill of the cheese-maker is combined to reflect both the new and yet the old fruit flavor that was traditionally eaten with bread and cheese in the old days.
Only the highest quality fruit juice is added to the curd while it is still soft. The cheese is then aged for a minimum of two months, allowing the flavors to mingle during the aging process. This unique technique allows for a dense, flakey paste and a slightly tart, fruits and irresistible flavor.
The flavor and aroma are slightly fruity but not sweet and do not saturate the palate but require an extra bite to fully appreciate the flavor. The fruitiness is not overwhelming, but adds just a hint of something different to this young pecorino.
Pecorino or Pecorino romano is a popular variety of cheese made with sheep’s milk. This hard and salty cheese is often used for grating and is used in the traditional Roman dish, Cacio e pepe (cheese and pepper).
The name “pecorino” simply means “ovine” or “of sheep” in Italian. Pecorino romano literally means “sheep’s [cheese] of Rome”.
The idea of cheese and fruit goes back for centuries, as people enjoy pairing this savory and sweet combination. The cheese makers at Canti took this one step further by not only eating fruit with their cheese, but actually incorporating fruit into their cheese.
This new recipe is now turning into a tradition. The cheese is aged in cylindrical shapes of about 1.2 kg each, the crust is light brown. The cheese contains pasteurized sheep's milk, fig juice freeze-dried (2.4%), salt, rennet, enzymes, flavorings. The surface is treated with linseed oil and raw beeswax producing an inedible rind.
| Milk | Sheep |
|---|---|
| Texture | Semi-Soft |
| Country | Italy |
| Pronunciation | KAW-cheeo ay FEE-kee [pe-ko-ree-no] |
