A Pecorino by Any Other Name: Pecorino di Pienza

Editor’s note: We’ve covered Pecorino before, but this time around Debbie Oakes gives us a closer look at Pecorino di Pienza in particular. For this story, her sincere thanks (and ours) go to Ulisse Brandli for his contribution.

Pienza is a UNESCO-protected Renaissance time-capsule town of palaces, churches, and piazzas. It is also a hub of Pecorino cheese. It sits above the Val d’Orcia looking down on a landscape that seems freshly painted by Michaelangelo’s dripping brush.

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Pecorino

Pecorino is one of the world’s oldest cheeses so it is hardly surprising that it exists in various incarnations all over Italy. Different flavor notes, colors, and textures emerge from the collusion of grasses and seasons -all formed by what the sheep eat and when. Regional and personal traditions are then employed to add finishing touches. Whatever the final differences; there are two certainties. Pecorino is made from 100 percent ewe’s milk and, somewhat unsurprisingly, its name is derived from pecora the Italian word for sheep.

What is Pecorino di Pienza?

Seven Pecorino cheeses have been recognized, regulated and safeguarded, ‘Protected Denomination of Origin’ (PDO), by the EU: Pecorino Romano, Pecorino Toscano, Pecorino Sardo, Pecorino di Filiano, Pecorino Crotonese, Pecorino di Picinisco and Pecorino Siciliano.

Notably missing is Pecorino di Pienza. I am at an organic farm, Podere il Casale in the Val d’Orcia with Ulisse Brandli, owner of one of the prized Pecorino producing farms (and one of the valley’s last shepherds) to ask why? He tells me: “Many of Italy’s famous cheeses are protected by DOP status; but not Pecorino di Pienza. Basically, this is because nobody organized it in the 90s. The big producers were not interested and the small ones had no political influence.” He explains that because it is not protected the risk of coming across fake products is much higher. “Nowadays a lot of milk is imported from Spain and France then ‘made in Pienza’. This means there are a lot of mainstream ‘boring’ pecorinos that are not flavored by the meadows of valley.” And that matters because the most important influence on the quality of Pecorino di Pienza is the vegetation that grows in The Orcia valley’s poor soil. “The grasses have to work hard to grow and that in turn makes milk tasty… a similar concept to famous wines like the Brunellos of Montalcino.”

History of Pecorino di Pienza

The characteristic rugged landscape of the Pienza region has barely changed, but the traditions and methods of cheese making have. Pecorino produced today is quite different to the traditional one of yesteryear. “When farmers first cultivated the Val d’Orcia, 2000 years ago, meadows of aromatic herbs covered the rugged landscape. These wild pastures have all but disappeared. Pecorino is different from the simple seasonal cheese made from Tuscan ewes’ milk by Nonna.”

In the 1960s, as young people moved to the cities, the Italian government encouraged shepherds from Sardinia to relocate. They purchased huge tracts of the notoriously difficult-to-cultivate land, introducing their own traditions and their own sheep. Production of Pecorino in the valley changed forever. “The Sardo breed is smaller, hardier, and better milk-producers than the native Tuscans. One liter a day for seven-eight months”, explains Ulisse. There are other changes too. The Sardinian shepherds introduced lamb or calf rennet. Prior to that Pecorino of the Orcia Valley was made with a vegetable rennet from a purple thistle-like wildflower related to the artichoke. “Rennet is used to coagulate the milk. It is the second ingredient of cheese after milk. We use both types. The main difference is that it’s slightly more difficult to make the cheese with vegetable rennet.”

Pecorino di Pienza Today

Current changes affecting Pecorino di Pienza also relate to imports: Many makers are now introducing new breeds from France, Spain, and Israel. They are considered more productive and can produce milk cooped up inside a barn. The Sardinian ewe has to go out into the pasture to produce milk. Ulisse says: “Industrially produced cheese with imported milk can not have the same flavor as artisanal cheeses. It is simply not possible. The best way to guarantee you are getting real Pecorino di Pienza cheese is to buy from a small producer who is making cheese from the milk in the valley.”

Now just a few artisan cheesemakers remain in the Val d’Orcia. For them, their passion for Pecorino tasting of the valley trumps profit. Just six shepherds remain. Only three artisanal cheese producers work exclusively with the milk of their own sheep. A further six to ten producers make Pecorino only with milk from the valley pastures. Ulisse says: “The small producers are all connected and not in competition. We have 200 ewes on this farm. I don’t know exactly how many sheep are in the Orcia valley, but not more than 15,000. I do know that there are increasingly less because the big cheese makers import their milk. For all the cheese sold as ‘Pecorino di Pienza’ there would have to be at least three times that number of sheep.”

Making Pecorino di Pienza

Cheesemaking is very personal and small things make a big difference – the temperature of the milk, the size of the curds, and of course the influence of the diet of the animals. “Even an organic cheese is not automatically better than a non-organic cheese”, Ullisse says humbly. “The important thing is to have a cheese made by people that are proud of their artisanal ability. That is what makes the difference.” Podere il Casale uses a traditional raw milk process that keeps the temperature low. “It is a softer way of making cheese. It preserves the flavor of the milk that comes from the grass, hay, or clover the sheep are eating. Pasteurization kills bacteria along with the taste. In Pienza, you will sometimes see mold on the outside of the cheese. This not only normal – but good. It means the rind has not been treated with a fungicide. It is easily removed and not harmful.”

Types of Pecorino di Pienza

There are the four main types of Pecorino – Fresco, Semi-Stagionato, Stagionato, Gran Riserva and endless ‘special versions’ can be made with pepperoncino, truffle, pepper, and herbs.

Depending on how long the cheese has been aged and even the area of the room it has been aged in; the flavor and texture change. “There are no standards regarding seasoning time but these are the guideline that works well for me,” Ulisse says. During this process, the cheeses are all brushed manually and turned frequently without conservatives ‘enhancing the authentic aroma of pecorino’ and creating an edible crust.

Fresh Raw Milk Pecorino – Pecorino Fresco Primo Sale

This fresh pecorino is the youngest cheese in the family. A mild and soft versatile ivory-colored cheese, ideal for use on cheese platters and pairing well with ‘a bodied white or a delicate and young red’. (But even the mildest pecorino is stronger in flavor than cow’s-milk cheese). Aged between zero to two months. “The raw milk processing allows us to obtain a delicate product, but with complex aromas and an intense flavor.” (Pecorino Fresco can only be sent within Italy).

Classic Raw Milk Pecorino – Semistagionato

Semi-stagionato Pecorino cheese is what is known as classic ‘Pecorino di Pienza’. Aged three to five months it has a delicate well-rounded taste, drier than the fresco, with a slightly nutty note and a firm edible rind. Semi-stagionato is perfect with a young red wine.

Raw Milk Aged Pecorino – Staginato

Made from January to June when the sheep produce milk rich in flavor and nutrients which intensifies with age. Aged for six months to a year, after about 60 days, it becomes crumblier in texture with a rich nutty flavor. It is brushed with olive oil to protect the crust and enhance its aroma. Stagionato should be eaten alone to enjoy its intense flavor or grated over a steaming risotto or pasta.

Organic Raw Milk Pecorino – Gran Riserva

Pecorino Riserva is aged for a minimum of one year - partly in the cave of a winery in Montepulciano. The result is an extraordinary pecorino cheese with ‘porcino-mushroom notes, broth, baked potatoes and a hint of garlic and ripe pineapple.’ A perfect cheese to accompany a bodied red or a dessert wine. Riservata wheels can be more than 10 kg as the bigger wheels age better.

Special Pecorino Cheeses

Raw Milk Fossa cheese – limited edition

Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say, and this Pecorino cheese was a project Podere il Casale had in mind for a while. But with the challenges of 2020, it was finally born out of real need. “When governments announced lockdowns our clients like restaurants and shops were forced to close their doors and guests couldn’t come to visit the farm.” The cheese aging rooms soon became packed with cheese wheels and a storage solution had to be found. “This is when we remembered the fossa of Emilia Romagna - special underground tuffa caves used for aging since medieval times.” The small caves are then sealed with hay and sand and a wooden lid for 3 months. Extremely lucky to get some spots in the fosse they took 120 wheels of their semi-stagionato to Emilia. Fosse cheeses have an unmistakable taste and aroma from the anaerobic fermentation that refines and ages the cheese. Ulisse says: “The cheeses are completely transformed in taste and shape because of the weight and moisture. It can be grated and the taste is strong – not for lovers of ‘shy’ cheese.”

Raw Milk Pecorino aged in bran, ash, or wine

This pecorino cheese is aged three to five months in bran, ash, or a pomade of Sangiovese grapes leftover from winemaking (called drunken Pecorino). A ‘happy accident’ this pecorino was created thanks to the ancient “Mezzadria” system of sharecropping with the landlord. Cheesemakers hid the cheese under ash, in wine, or under bran in order to not share everything. This pecorino cheese is mild with nutty, smoky, or slight fruity notes depending on the bed it has laid in.

Although the Pecorinos of Pienza is not protected by DOP, a few ardent protectors of the rich heritage and flavors of the Orcia Valley remain. Time, necessity, and the need to make profit change things, but authentic quality in the Val d’Orcia, so far, live on.