Pecorino Calabrese Riserva Max
Italy
Pecorino Calabrese is a pasteurized sheep’s milk cheese exclusively from the Calabria region of Italy. The Reserva Max is treated on the surface with olive oil and then aged for more than 12 months giving it a strong and slighly spicy flavour. With its hard texture this cheese is similar to Roman Pecorino but with a smoother, rich and nuty, spicy flavor.
Pecorino is the name given to all Italian cheeses made from sheep's milk which is believed to be the oldest continually made cheese in the world, some 5,000 years.
The cheese is just under 3 inches high with a light dusting of powdery white mold on its thin rind. The interior, ivory in color, with a strong taste, soft and slightly tart, the crust is thin and smooth, the dough is smooth and creamy, with very few holes.
The aroma offered that unmistakable lanolin or lamb's-wool scent characteristic of aged sheep's milk cheeses, signaling what is to come, a robust, meaty flavor, with plentiful salt and a lactic tang in the finish.
You can enjoy the Pecorino Calabreseas a table cheese, but it is also firm enough to grate on pasta. An ideal complement to the last of the spring fava beans, grate some over a bowl of pasta with fava beans, or serve the cheese and favas as a nibble with aperitifs. The contrast of sweet, raw favas with salty cheese is quite pleasing.
Cheese Club May 2012
Sorry, this cheese is only available via special order
| Milk | Sheep |
|---|---|
| Texture | Firm |
| Country | Italy |
| Pronunciation | Pec-or-ino Cala-bres-ae |
