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Cheese from Italy, Lazio

Pecorino di Picinisco PDO

Raw whole sheep milk, with up to 25% local goat milk, is set at 36–38 °C with lamb or kid rennet paste from the valley and no added starter. The rice-size curd is lightly pressed in the vat, put into hand-woven wicker moulds, sometimes dipped briefly in boiling whey, and dry-salted for 12–24 hours. It is sold as Scamosciato after 30–60 days or as Stagionato after more than 90.

Fully documentedCheese31 daysPDO (EU), Reg. (EU) No 1161/2013Family: Hard pressed ewe cheese family (Manchego and Pecorino Romano as templates)

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe sources set conditions, not doses, except the salt (at least 20 g per kg of cheese). Cheeses weigh 0.5–2.5 kg.
Raw whole sheep milk (Sopravissana, Comisana, Massese or crosses), from one or more milkings[picinisco-scheda]
Goat milk from local Capra grigia ciociara and Capra bianca MonticellanaUp to 25% of the milk[picinisco-scheda]
Lamb or kid rennet paste from suckling animals raised in the valley[picinisco-scheda]
SaltAt least 20 g per kg of cheese[onaf-sheet]
Olive oil and wine vinegar, for the rind (optional)[onaf-sheet]
Starternone; adding no lactic ferments keeps the milk's own flora (ONAF sheet)

Total time across the recorded steps: 31 days

Start
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36–38 °C

What changes: Lamb or kid rennet paste goes into the raw sheep and goat milk

Step 1 of 5
Set with lamb or kid rennet
Time
Not documented
Temperature
36–38 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Milk not worked within 2 hours of milking may be cooled to no more than 15 °C and used within 14 hours, or chilled to 4–6 °C and used within 48 hours (ONAF sheet).

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

Raw whole sheep milk, with up to 25% local goat milk, is set at 36–38 °C with lamb or kid rennet paste from the valley and no added starter. The rice-size curd is lightly pressed in the vat, put into hand-woven wicker moulds, sometimes dipped briefly in boiling whey, and dry-salted for 12–24 hours. It is sold as Scamosciato after 30–60 days or as Stagionato after more than 90. Made in 5 steps over 31 days. The longest step, ripen, takes at least 30 days (European Commission 2013).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 30 daysSet[picinisco-scheda]Ripen
Temperature36–38 °CReported[onaf-sheet]Set with lamb or kid rennet

What makes this one different

Made with no added ferments, so the raw milk's specific flora is kept, and up to a quarter goat milk is allowed. The rennet comes from suckling lambs or kids raised in the same valley.

Types
Scamosciato (30–60 days, 0.7–2.5 kg) and Stagionato (over 90 days, 0.5–2 kg)
Milk
Raw whole sheep milk with up to 25% goat milk
Feed
At least 70% of feed from the area; at least 8 months a year on pasture

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is raw and no starter is added. Milk not worked within 2 hours of milking is cooled to no more than 15 °C and worked within 14 hours, or chilled to 4–6 °C and worked within 48 hours (ONAF sheet). ONAF says some is eaten only a few days after salting. ANSES, the French food safety agency, says Listeria and enterohaemorrhagic E. coli in raw-milk cheeses can kill, and advises pregnant women, people with weak immunity, people over 65 and young children to avoid raw-milk cheeses other than pressed cooked ones such as Gruyère or Comté. It says cheese cooked well, as in an oven recipe, no longer poses a risk.

History and sources

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

The specification ties the cheese to the valley's summer move of flocks to mountain pasture (monticazione) and to the cheesemaker's skill; the Valle di Comino covers 20 communes and over 61,535 ha. As evidence of its history the specification cites writings (Castrucci, 1600s; the Statistica Murattiana, 1811) and records kept at the Picinisco town hall. The name was entered in the EU register of protected designations of origin by Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1161/2013 of 7 November 2013.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [picinisco-scheda] European Commission 2013, single document "Pecorino di Picinisco" PDO, OJ C 57, 27.2.2013 (copy hosted by ONAF)spec
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Pecorino di Picinisco'web
  3. [reg-1161-2013] Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) No 1161/2013 of 7 November 2013 entering a name in the register of protected designations of origin and protected geographical indications [Pecorino di Picinisco (PDO)], OJ L 309, 19.11.2013, p. 9spec
  4. [anses2022] ANSES 2022, Fromages au lait cru, quels risques pour la santé et comment mieux les prévenir (8 April 2022)gov