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Cheese from Italy, Toscana

Il grande vecchio di Montefollonico

Stored sheep milk is pasteurised, soured with a milk starter and set with calf rennet at 35 °C. The rice-size curd is moulded, kept two days in a warm room to sour and drain, and dry-salted. The wheels ripen about 300 days on metal racks, turned often and rubbed with olive oil.

Fully documentedCheese9.9 monthsTraditional food product (PAT, Regione Toscana)Family: Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedOne producer makes about 1000 wheels a year; no batch size or doses are given. Wheels weigh 4.5–9 kg.
Sheep milk, wholeRefrigerated and stored, then pasteurised; the flock grazes pasture and woodland 11 months a year[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Milk starter (lattoinnesto)[onaf-sheet]
Natural calf rennet[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Dry salt[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Olive oil (rind treatment)[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Starterlattoinnesto (milk starter)

Total time across the recorded steps: 9.9 months

Start
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What changes: The stored sheep milk is pasteurised

Step 1 of 6
Pasteurise the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The milk is refrigerated and stored, then pasteurised.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Stored sheep milk is pasteurised, soured with a milk starter and set with calf rennet at 35 °C. The rice-size curd is moulded, kept two days in a warm room to sour and drain, and dry-salted. The wheels ripen about 300 days on metal racks, turned often and rubbed with olive oil. Made in 6 steps over 9.9 months. The longest step, ripen with an oiled rind, takes at least 9.9 months (Regione Toscana).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 9.9 monthsReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Ripen with an oiled rind
Temperature35 °CReported[onaf-sheet]Add starter and rennet

What makes this one different

A big Tuscan pecorino aged at least ten months, with its rind rubbed with olive oil to stop mould and slow drying.

Rind
Thick, hard, oily, beige to light brown with basket marks
Size
Cylinder 20–35 cm across and 8–18 cm high, 4.5–9 kg
Season
Made January to November

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is pasteurised before cheesemaking.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

One producer in the province of Siena makes about 1000 wheels a year, about 6 tonnes. Its sheep graze pasture and woodland 11 months a year.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Toscana, traditional food product sheet 'Il grande vecchio di Montefollonico', copy hosted by ONAFgov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Il Grande vecchio di Montefollonico'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Il Grande vecchio di Montefollonico' (id 913)web