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The Best Pecorino Cheese I have ever tasted!

 
 

The home on the farm
The home on the farm

View from the farm
View from the farm

happy sheep
happy sheep

Up another mountain today about 1000 meters up to Cerasa Farm. The Cavani family is part of a project to save the native breed of Garfagnana sheep. Signora Gemma uses their milk to make pecorino cheese. She explains how she makes the pecorino cheese by starting with the milk to cutting the curd and ladling it into moulds. We then watched her make ricotta from the whey. This is why here, Ricotta is not considered cheese because it is not made with milk, it is made by recooking the whey and making it curdle.

boiling the milk
boiling the milk

Mixing and separating the curd from the whey
Mixing and separating the curd from the whey

Gathering and pulling the curd out to put into forms
Gathering and pulling the curd out to put into forms

curd resting in pecorino form.
curd resting in pecorino form.

She took us to her cellar where she matures the pecorino cheese.

Gemma showing us her cheese cellar
Gemma showing us her cheese cellar

freshly salted pecorino ready to be aged
freshly salted pecorino ready to be aged

 
Pecorino aging in the cellar
Pecorino aging in the cellar

Also on the property are ancient chestnut trees. Each has a small plaque below which tells the birthdate and name of the tree. Yes, they name the chestnut trees on the property.

 
Chestnut trees all around us
Chestnut trees all around us

Plaque in front of chestnut tree

me with a belly full of cheese
me with a belly full of cheese

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