PECORINO TOSCANO PDO

DESCRIPTION, HISTORY AND CHARACTERISTICS OF THE PDO
Pecorino Toscano has its roots in the centuries. Pastoralism was, in fact, the prevalent activity of the Etruscans and Romans. Pliny the Elder spoke about this “cacio”, as it was initially (and still today in Tuscany) called, in his “Naturalis Historia”, in which he said that from a city of Etruscan origin, Luni (today’s Lunigiana), a fine cheese called “Lunense” arrived in Rome and was much appreciated for its goodness and the size of its shapes. In 1400, traces of Pecorino Toscano were found as “cacio marzolino”. According to historical sources, this cheese was welcome at noble banquets and even among Lorenzo the Magnificent’s favourites. In the fifteenth century, in a text by Platina, “Marzolino d’Etruria” and “Parmesan” were celebrated as the best cheese in Italy. Today, as yesterday, Pecorino Toscano characterizes the dairy tradition of its original territory, within which the milk is produced, transformed into cheese, and brought to the end of maturation. Its unique and delicate flavour tells an ancient story that reaches the present day in the name of quality and close bonds with the production territory. From the breeding of the sheep to their milking, passing through all the production stages, up to ageing, everything must take place, as established by the Production Regulations, in the area of origin, which includes the whole Tuscany, the Municipalities of Allerona and Castiglione del Lago in Umbria, and those of Acquapendente, Onano, San Lorenzo Nuovo, Grotte di Castro, Gradoli, Valentano, Farnese, Ischia di Castro, Montefiascone, Bolsena, and Capodimonte in Lazio. Each territory’s different climatic conditions and cheese-making traditions give Pecorino Toscano DOP different nuances of tastes and aromas.