Pecorino is one of Italy’s most popular cheeses. Made in every region of the country, it is found in recipes, on dinner tables, and antipasto plates everywhere. It is one of Italy’s most-exported cheeses to the United States, alongside other cheeses including Parmigiano Reggiano, mascarpone, and Grana Padano.

Even though they all share the same moniker, not all pecorino cheeses are alike. The word “pecorino” simply means “of sheep” in Italian, derived from the word for the animal, pecora. The names of cheeses are usually expanded to distinguish different cheeses beyond their common use of sheep milk.

Among all the versions made in the country, a small number of them are so highly valued for their significance to Italy’s culinary and cultural history, they have been assigned PDO status. This protected designation of origin specifies information about the product, such as the geographic location where it’s made, or unique aspects of production. It’s an important step to protecting a food’s heritage.

Here are the eight Italian pecorino cheeses with PDO designation.

Pecorino Romano

Pecorino Romano is the best-known of the PDO pecorino cheeses, having earned the status in 1996. Made exclusively from ewe’s milk, this cheese takes its name from the recipe’s origins in the countryside outside Rome around 2,000 years ago. It was produced in rural Lazio until 1884 when local regulations were changed to prohibit salting cheeses in Roman cheese shops, driving most of the producers to relocate to Sardinia, although the name continued to reflect Roman origins.

Pecorino Romano is a firm cheese with wheels weighing approximately 50 pounds. It is a ‘cooked curd’ cheese, which means the curds are heated to encourage the curds to expel moisture more quickly. Required to be aged at least five months before being sold, this cheese really hits its stride from the eight-month mark onward. Developing a firmer, dryer texture, the additional aging allows its trademark piquant and savory flavor. An excellent grating cheese, Pecorino Romano is often used in lieu of Parmigiano Reggiano on pasta dishes, grilled vegetables, and even fresh fruit.

Pecorino Toscano

Since the 15th century, this heady cheese has been made across Tuscany, and acquired PDO status in 1996. Offered in both young and aged versions, it is the third-most produced cheese in Italy, behind only Pecorino Sardo and the leader, Pecorino Romano.

Made from pasteurized, whole-fat milk, Pecorino Toscano can be consumed after only 20 days, the minimum aging period required for PDO certification. This fresco style is delicate and mild, with a slightly sweet flavor and an assertive aroma evocative of Tuscan pastures. This young cheese is served with fresh figs and fruit or mixed in with fava beans to make the classic Tuscan dish, Insalata di Baccelli e Pecorino.

Aged for more than 120 days, older Pecorino Toscano has spicier flavors and is suitable for grating, making it more of a table cheese for a wide range of dishes. The intense, forward flavors of this cheese make it an excellent partner with fresh pears and a drizzle of acacia honey as well.

Pecorino Sardo

Made in Sardinia, this cheese is the second-most exported sheep milk cheese in Italy behind Pecorino Romano. Wheels range from seven to nine pounds and can range in color from milky white to straw yellow and even a darker brown as it ages. It was awarded PDO status in 1996.

Made only from the milk of the Sarda breed of sheep, this intense cheese is offered in two styles. The younger dolce wheels are aged for a period of 20 to 60 days, and have a brighter, more lactic flavor and exhibit stronger aromas reminiscent of the animal. Older maturo wheels require at least 120 days of age to qualify as PDO. These wheels have a more piquant flavor and are often enjoyed at the end of a meal, accompanied by pine nuts, bread, and fresh olive oil.

Pecorino Sardo enjoys a unique status amongst other Sardinian cheeses. Strict requirements set by the PDO for milk sourcing and labeling set it apart from other island cheeses. (For example, Pecorino Sardo must display the initials of its name in ink, as well as information identifying the producer and logo.)

Pecorino di Filiano

Compact, dense, and extremely flavorful, Pecorino di Filiano has enjoyed PDO status since December of 2007, although the recipe dates back to the 17th century. Originating in the southern region of Basilicata, it is allowed to be produced in thirty different communes surrounding the capital city of Potenza. The name is thought to have come from the local practice of wool-spinning. An abundance of sheep supported a robust textile industry, influencing local dairy farmers to adopt the Italian verb “to spin”, filare, for their cheese.

Pecorino di Filiano is typically consumed when aged. Their PDO designation requires a minimum of 180 days of aging, at which time the flavors and textures are more delicate and sweet. Continued aging transforms the interior into a more assertive, pungent cheese. Cheesemakers are allowed to apply local olive oil and wine-based vinegar from the 20th day of aging onward, intensifying the wheel’s aroma and flavor.

Often served with local specialties such as torta di latticini, a savory cake made from cheese and laced with prosciutto, Pecorino di Filiano is an excellent choice to pair with the local red wine, Aglianico del Vulture. The wine’s robust, full-bodied character melds perfectly with the cheese’s dense, saline profile.

Pecorino Crotonese

Named for the village of Crotone in the southwestern region of Calabria, this compact and hard cheese is intense and salty. It is usually made when the sheep are producing the greatest quantity of the highest quality milk, typically from January to June. During this time, the milk contains a naturally-produced oil which can result in the wheels having a slightly oily sheen.

Pecorino Crotonese uses pasteurized milk to make wheels weighing approximately five pounds. They are formed and aged in woven molds which impart a distinctive pattern on the rind. Aged for a minimum of 90 days, this cheese is strongly flavored, even by southern Italian standards. The hard texture and savory flavor make Pecorino Crotonese almost seem meaty. Salty and spicy notes allow this cheese to pair effortlessly with the bold, rich red wines Italy is famous for. A notably excellent pairing is Piedmont’s Barolo.

Pecorino di Picinisco

Produced across the Comino Valley in the province of Frosinone in central Italy, this uncooked cheese was awarded PDO status in 2013. Made entirely from raw sheep milk, wheels are made into two different styles, each distinctive in their characteristics.

Semi-matured scamosciato wheels tend to be more evocative of the mountain pastures where the sheep graze than their more aged stagionato counterparts. Although local PDO requirements allow for up to 25% of the milk used to come from goats, the majority of production must come from Sopravissana, Comisana, or Massese sheep breeds.

Younger scamosciato wheels are aged for 30 to 60 days, which preserves the cheese’s sweeter, more fragrant notes. Older wheels of stagionato wheels must age at least 90 days, during which olive oil and wine vinegar are allowed to be rubbed onto the rind. This cheese has a much more intense ‘farmy’ smell, and a spicier flavor.

Pecorino Siciliano

Enjoying PDO status since 1996 (and DOP protection in 1955), Pecorino Siciliano is one of Italy’s most lauded sheep milk cheeses in the world.

Made from whole raw milk, this cheese is semi-cooked and traditionally aged in hand-woven baskets made from reeds, called fascedde. Prior to ripening, wheels are dry-rubbed with salt. Brine is allowed to be applied if the wheels are too dry. The ripening process must last at least 120 days, during which time the wheels are flipped within their baskets several times to allow for uniform aging and development. This frequent flipping also imprints the basket’s weave pattern on the rind of the cheese.

Even with the extended aging period, this cheese typically retains a fresh and floral aroma. The flavor is sharp, with noticeable fruity tones that turn more savory and saline as the wheel ages. While used in the local pasta dishes, the pleasantly sharp flavor is an outstanding foil for savory foods, especially the local Sicilian olives and bread. Naturally, Sicilian red wine is an excellent pairing partner, especially the full-bodied and rich Nero d’Avola.

Pecorino delle Balze Volterrane

Produced in the province of Pisa since the 15th century, Pecorino delle Balze Volterrane is a semi-hard cheese made from raw milk from the Sarda breed of sheep. It is offered in four different styles - fresco, semistagionato, stagionato, and da Asserbo.

The youngest version, fresco, is aged for only four to seven days and has a delicate and fruity flavor. Semistagionato wheels are aged for 45 days to six months and have a mild flavor with a pleasant firmness. Stagionato cheese wheels are aged for six to 12 months and exhibit a more savory, intense flavor from the lengthier ripening time. The oldest version, Pecornin da Asserbo, requires at least a full year of aging. This cheese is the most intensely flavored style and is often served with charcuterie and many of the outstanding Tuscan red wines produced in the region.

The name of this cheese reflects the terroir from which it comes. Balze are large chasms created by rainfall, and combine with other local geographic features to create a unique environment for flora to thrive. In particular, the cardoon plant is wildly successful there. This ‘artichoke thistle’ is a member of the sunflower family. It is a dietary staple of the local sheep and directly influences the flavor of their milk. This connection to terroir is found in the sophisticated aromas and complex sweetness of this pecorino.

Usually served tableside, Pecorino delle Balze Volterrane is especially adept at pairing with foods that have a brightness or tang to them. Pickled vegetables are a favorite local combination. With four different varieties to choose from, these cheeses are also found stuffed in handmade pasta and grated over soups.

Italy’s PDO Pecorino Cheeses