The market · Dairy and eggs · Southern Europe

Pecorino romano

Hard, salty, sharp sheep's-milk cheese aged at least five months — the cheese of cacio e pepe, carbonara, gricia and amatriciana, though most of it is now made in Sardinia.

salty · sharp · sheepy

What to do with it

Kenji Hara's Sourdough, 100% ryePecorino romano would give it depthIbu Sari's Beef rendangPecorino romano would give it depthAna Etxarri's ChawanmushiPecorino romano would season itRosa Ibarra's Clarified milk punch, mezcal and pineapplePecorino romano would give it depth

Kinds

Pecorino Romano
The saltiest and sharpest; for grating.
Pecorino Sardo and Toscano
Milder and sweeter — better for eating than for Roman pasta.

If you can't find it

Italian delis and most supermarkets.

  1. 1Parmesan
    The same weight
    You lose pecorino's sheep tang and salt.
    Gets some back a little more salt.

Goes with

black pepperguancialeegg yolkbroad bean

Knowing it

Where to buy
Italian delis, in a piece. Grate it yourself on a fine microplane; pre-grated clumps.
Worth knowing
It's much saltier than parmesan, so go light on salt in the pasta water. For cacio e pepe that doesn't seize, beat the finely grated cheese with a little cooled pasta water into a paste first, then loosen it into the pasta off the heat.

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