'' cheese, produced in
Sardinia and distributed from
Genoa Of the six main varieties of pecorino, all of which have
protected designation of origin (PDO) status under
European Union law, is probably the best known outside Italy. Most is produced on the island of
Sardinia, although its production zone also includes
Lazio and the Tuscan provinces of
Grosseto and
Siena.
Ancient Roman authors wrote about this cheese and its production technique. The other five mature PDO cheeses are the from Sardinia (
casu berbeghinu in
Sardinian language); , whose production was already attested by
Pliny the Elder in his
Natural History; (or
picurinu sicilianu in
Sicilian); from
Basilicata; and
pecorino crotonese from the
province of Crotone, in Calabria. Two other well-known pecorinos are (from the
comune of
Amatrice, which was also the origin of
amatriciana sauce) and the one that was produced in
Abruzzo, the . All come in a variety of styles depending on how long they have been
aged. The more matured cheeses, referred to as (), are harder but still crumbly in texture and have decidedly buttery and nutty flavours. The other two types, and , have a softer texture and milder cream and milk tastes. ==Tradition==