After my previous post on Tuscan wines I have come up with the idea that it can be interesting for all of you who will shortly visit Tuscany to know about the cheese of my homeland.
Tuscany has excellent cheese that I would classify among the best in Italy. The art of cheese making has been brought to the highest point of perfection over the years mainly thanks to the Sardinians (inhabitants of the island of Sardinia) who live and produce cheese in Tuscany. The Sardinians are the masters of the production of Pecorino sheep cheese. At present, mainly in the area of Pienza many of them produce part of the best pecorino cheese in Italy.
Besides the pecorino cheese you should taste the fresh ricotta di pecora that has nothing to do with what you can buy in Spain, made and packed by Galbani.
Ricotta is very hard to find in restaurants as it is fresh cheese that tends to spoil in a day or two maximum but you can buy it in the dairy products shelves of COOP supermarkets, El Consorcio Agrario as well as in the small grocer’s shops. There are two varieties of ricotta: from cow, less tasty, similar to the flavour of Matò, and from sheep, very good and delectable, ideal to flavour salad in the hot summer days¡
By the way friends, if you enter Pienza, in town there are many shops only selling the best quality pecorino but if you want to buy directly from the producers, on the road from Pienza to Montepulciano you will find many who sell directly to the customer obviously at lower prices.
Certainly, I hope this article about Tuscan cheese turns out useful.
Warm regards,
Giovanni
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