A cheese that Ancient Roman Emperors ate!

Pecorino Romano is a cheese that has been around for more than 2,000 years! In fact, this cheese used to grace the tables of Ancient Roman emperors and nourish the Ancient Roman legionnaires. These soldiers depended on its nutritional value and ability which would last on extended marches who were allotted a daily ration of 27 grams.

Today, Pecorino Romano is still made with sheep’s milk and it still follows the cheesemaking process of the Ancient Romans, but most of it is now produced on the island of Sardinia instead of Lazio. The reason is because on the island of Sardinia sheep actually outnumber the people!

Now, Pecorino Romano is a protected PDO product that can only be produced in Sardinia, Lazio, and the Tuscan province of Grosseto. Unfortunately, Pecorino Romano is also a cheese that is imitated around the world. In order to avoid the Italian sounding version, real Pecorino Romano cheese will have the dotted letters on the rind, the red and yellow PDO logo, and its consortium logo.

Pecorino Romano is a staple in recipes such as carbonara, amatriciana, e cacio e pepe. When eaten as part as a balanced diet, Pecorino Romano is a great source of protein and calcium, as well as linolenic acid, an unsaturated omega-6 fatty acid that has been shown to lower bad cholesterol and help keep the heart healthy.

A cheese Ancient Roman emperors ate!

Twitta