Romano

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Name variations

 * locatelli
 * Romano Pecorino
 * Pecorino Romano

About Romano
Wikipedia Article About Romano on Wikipedia

The best known of the Italian pecorino (sheep’s milk) cheeses, Pecorino Romano is a hard cheese, creamy to pale yellow in color, and comes in a large wheel. It is good for grating and can be used in any recipe that calls for Parmesan cheese although the flavor is a bit more intense.

Romano cheese is a type of cheese that is known for being very hard, salty and sharp. This very hard cheese is usually used for grating. It is different from normal cheeses because it requires more milk per pound, most water being lost in the process. There are different types of romano cheese. True romano cheese is made from sheep's milk (pecorino romano) or goat's milk (caprino romano), though mass produced versions, as in the United States, are often made from cow's milk, like vacchino romano. Pecorino Romano is sharp and tangy. Caprino romano is the goat's milk version, and it has an extremely sharp taste. Vacchino romano is very mild in taste. Most of the romano cheeses made in the United States is made from cow's milk, like vacchino romano, or with a mix of cow's milk and either sheep or goat milk.

There is a special method for making romano cheese. It is called "rummaging curd" and is done by draining the curd quickly after molding. The surface is then pierced slightly before the cheese is salted. The cheese should age for five months before eating, and longer if the cheese is to be grated. Romano cheese has a fat content of 27%, and a water content of 32%.

This cheese is named after Rome itself, where it's been made for over two thousand years, originally in the province of Latium. It is one of the oldest Italian cheeses.

Romano cheese is a hard cheese with a strong taste, first made in Italy. It is used in many Italian dishes and can be used on top of pasta in place of Parmesan cheese.