Recently we got a delivery from our cheeseful partner *Passione Toscana* and in it we found 3 Pecorini from the Maremma region of Southern Tuscany.
The Maremma extends along the Tuscan coast from near Pisa down into Lazio and also into the hinterlands of southern Tuscany. Not surprisingly, it is known for its unique appearance with beaches, the blue sea, marshes and flat lands as well as green hills and natural thermal baths.
But besides the stunning landscape and a rich history that dates back to Etruscan times the Maremma is also home to wonderful delicacies such as our cheesy table companions, which all come from the province of Grosseto.
Il Semistagionato – Caseificio Il Fiorino
As our personal Sunday gift Gustav and I started to investigate our Maremma Pecorini and after long discussions with whom to start decided to go in alphabetical order, which by the way later on turned out to be the right intensity order too!
Our table companion *Il semistagionato del Fiorino* by Caseficio Il Fiorino from Roccalbegna in Tuscany.
Just the name*il Fiorino* lets a cheese lover´s heart just beat a little faster – after all, the 1957-founded dairy *Il Fiorino* is known for its premier cheeses and in fact is the most awarded dairy in the world. The dairy collects the milk within a 40km radius from hand-selected farmers and control of quality, composition, and taste of the raw material is on peak precision. The ripening cages, which are carved into stone, are of a constant temperature and naturally ventilated. This produces a microclimate that helps the cheeses into their award-winning stages.
Ripened for at least 45 days the pasteurized sheep’s milk Semistagionato delivers a mild acidity on lactic notes of fresh cream and butter, all transported on a brittle yet compact paste.
Gustav says this Tuscan classic reminds him of a sheepy honey drop on a meadow in the dawn and rates our Sunday catch a lofty 12/10. 🐺🐾
*Pecorino Toscana Dop* – Caseificio Sociale Manciano
Interesting fact:Caseificio Sociale Manciano was founded in 1961 by 25 cheesemakers whose goal it was to enhance the production of sheep’s milk coming from the Maremma Grosseto area. Today the farm assembles 250 dairy farmers with over 60,000 sheep and a milk production of about 8million liters.
Dense on the tooth and melting on the tongue, it’s a wonderful stand alone invite for your evening date! Just salty and fatty enough, with a mild&melty,charcoal acidity and reminicents of a grazing sheep in the tuscan landscape it lets you forget that there might be other things in life. 🧀☀️😇
La Riserva del Pastore – Caseificio Podere Paterno
All good things travel in threes and the last protagonist in our Pecorini di Maremma trilogy *La Riserva del Pastore* comes from Caseificio Podere Paterno on the Etruscan Coastal Part of the Maremma region of Tuscany. Being the curdled offspring of sheep 🐑 that spend their days outside on the pastures of olive-tree-dotted Val di Cornia, La Riserva del Pastore is made of raw milk that is coagulated with the help of kid´s rennet. 🐐
At least 5 months old and guarded by an olive oil rubbed shell, La Riserva del Pastore balances a sweet&sour saltyness on fragile yet silky flakes that deliver aromas of cooked milk and cheese rind.🥛🧀
Gustav rates our charming dinner- and energizing breakfast-guest a happy&high 12/10 for its peppery hints of nutmeg and reminiscence of its woolen mother and says he will apply for the position of a sheep dog in the Maremma. 🐑🐾 Well Gustav – I hate to break the news..but it ain´t no life for city wolves.. 🌆🐺😃
Interesting fact: The founding family members of Podere Paterno came to the area in the 1960s, in a time when many Sardinians moved onto the mainland and up the coast in the search of a better life. With them they brought a generational cheesemakers´ knowledge that they shared with the Tuscans and helped the Tuscan Pecorini to elevate into the world class level they are today.
