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Pecorino Romano is one of the oldest cheeses in the world, with roots going back to Ancient Rome. But today, most of it is no longer made near Rome at all. In this episode, we visit I Buonatala, one of the very last producers still making Pecorino Romano in Lazio, the cheese’s original territory, to understand how global demand, especially from the United States, reshaped where and how this cheese is made. We explore the differences between Pecorino Romano made in Rome and the versions produced elsewhere, and how exports helped keep this historic producer alive.
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00:02Pecorino romano dates back more than a thousand years to the kitchens of ancient Rome, but today
00:09this ancient cheese is a modern global business worth over 600 million euros with nearly a third
00:16of it shipped to the United States. And yet despite the name the majority of pecorino romano is no
00:29longer made near Rome, to meet international demand production largely shifted 280 miles away to the
00:36island of Sardinia. Today we're in Neppi at 30 kilometers from Rome to visit one of the very few
00:43producers that is still making pecorino romano in Lazio the original territory of this cheese. I'm
00:50here to see how a Buona Tavola makes its cheese and I'm lucky enough to have Giuseppe Capuani the
00:56director of this historic dairy showing me around.
01:14The process for making pecorino romano starts with a milk delivery. After it arrives at the dairy, it is cleaned
01:22using a
01:22process called thermization, then transferred into these large vats to be turned into cheese.
01:28Quanti litri ci sono qui di latte? Questa è 10.000. Poi ne abbiamo 35.000. Noi quindi a giro
01:38riusciamo a fare 250
01:40quintali di latte.
01:42Ok.
01:43Like most sheep's milk cheeses, pecorino romano is seasonal, produced from October to July,
01:50with higher volumes between January and May.
01:52Here we have picchi che arriviamo a 1.000 quintali al giorno, e dei momentieri facciamo 200-300 quintali al
01:59giorno.
02:00Renate is added, and after a short wait the milk begins to curdo. The curd is then cut until the
02:07pieces are about the size of a grain of rice.
02:10Curd and whey are transferred into another large vat. There is so much milk that it takes about 20 minutes.
02:18The curd is then pressed for another 30 minutes to release excess whey, before being cut into large blocks and
02:25placed into moulds.
02:28This is so much milk that it takes about 20 minutes.
02:35It's soft.
02:36It's soft.
02:37It's soft.
02:38It's soft.
02:38It's soft.
02:39It's soft.
02:39It's soft.
02:39It's soft.
02:40It's soft.
02:40It's soft because it tends to be made in the middle of the turkey.
02:44Oh, wow.
02:46Oh, wow.
02:46Oh, and after having been mixed...
03:01So, fresh curds.
03:06It doesn't taste like much though,
03:08because it hasn't been salted yet.
03:10But it's nice to bring him.
03:12You wanna try?
03:14No, no.
03:15See, that's proof.
03:16They say you should always share with the cameraman,
03:18but I can have it myself, it's fine.
03:26Although I wasn't impressed by this particular piece of curd,
03:29I suggest you stick around until the end when we taste the cheese,
03:33because I can guarantee I changed my mind.
03:36And in fact, it's not just me.
03:39Since the mid-20th century, when Italian cuisine began spreading abroad,
03:44this cheese has been a hit in the United States.
03:47In the most recent production cycle alone,
03:50about 8,000 metric tons of pecorino romano were shipped to the US.
03:58Pecorino romano was so successful that producers in Lazio and surrounding regions
04:03could no longer keep up with demand.
04:05With the exports to the United States,
04:09we began to have a lack of product,
04:12just because one part was destined to the United States.
04:15So we were missing these reasons.
04:18The region of Italy that had the number of pecorino,
04:21the number of pecorinos, the most pasture-sized,
04:22and the more pascals was in Sardegna,
04:24which, traditionally, did not use the Roman pecorino.
04:29So it's true that today,
04:30it is the region of Italy that uses less pecorino to consume.
04:34What happened is that some rural rural entrepreneurs
04:39have started to produce in Sardegna.
04:42While the production process is the same,
04:45Giuseppe says the real differences begin with the milk.
04:48Here, there are some differences
04:50from the point of view of the production of the Steppe,
04:54but from the point of view of the flavors,
04:57how to make a pecorino romano.
05:00There is one thing to say,
05:03but the two cheese are completely different.
05:07Because if it's true,
05:08it's true that the milk and the animal
05:12are concerned about the environment,
05:14about the Pascals,
05:15about the food,
05:16and so on.
05:20Today, pecorino romano is protected by a PDO,
05:24or protected designation of origin.
05:26That means it can only be made under strict rules
05:29and in specific areas.
05:31The PDO helped pecorino romano grow internationally,
05:35making it easier for consumers to distinguish it
05:38from imitations.
05:39But that growth didn't benefit every producer equally.
05:43So, with the discourse of the lower cost,
05:46the markets easily conquered easily.
05:49And there, a lot of Lazian companies
05:53It's true that we were more than 20 producers
05:56and we stayed at the idea
05:58that they still produce historically.
06:01Much of the pecorino romano made there today
06:04is produced at a much larger scale.
06:07In Lazio, production has retained an artisanal touch
06:10Giuseppe cares deeply about.
06:12On the sides, there can be an adjective mark
06:16that identifies the region.
06:19It's true that we, on our cheese,
06:21we write pecorino romano from Lazio.
06:24The Sardis could write pecorino romano from Sardinia,
06:29but surely they won't write it.
06:32This is the pecorino romano that goes all around the fascia.
06:38This is the year and the year of production.
06:46The above is the case.
06:49The case.
06:51The sign of the province is a number.
06:55We have in Lazio from 2 to 99.
07:00So, what is the number?
07:03We have two numbers in Lazio.
07:05The Sardis have from 101 and then.
07:08And where are we?
07:10From 2 to 99.
07:12Because otherwise, there would be the first one.
07:14It would be fine.
07:15Oh!
07:17So, we, as a casella,
07:18have a VT8
07:20which remains in the form.
07:22At this stage,
07:23the wheels weigh about 35 kilograms
07:26and as they continue to drain
07:28they drop to around 30 kilograms
07:31because parts of the process
07:33are still done by hand,
07:34slight variations in size are normal.
07:36We normally put the market face
07:39when the cheese is cold.
07:43Because, from cold,
07:45it is turned and turned back
07:46just to make the face,
07:48not to make the face loose.
07:52From here, we go to the kitchen.
07:54This is the only company
07:56of cheese and especially pecorino romano
07:59which still uses the sotterrane
08:02to season the cheese.
08:04The day after the cheese is salted.
08:07This place
08:09is dedicated to cheese in salagione.
08:14So, here the cheese is from the first day
08:17until three months.
08:19The salagione usually lasts about three months.
08:22In the sense that,
08:24we give the first hand of salt
08:26and put it on one side.
08:29The first hand of salt
08:30lasts 10, 12, 15 days.
08:33Then it is washed,
08:34re-salted,
08:35and this procedure lasts for three months.
08:39This step used to be done entirely by hand,
08:42but today it is often done by machine
08:44to make the work easier.
08:46Some wheels, however,
08:47are still too large for the machine.
09:11The wheels we are seeing today
09:13are going through their second salting.
09:15It depends on how they behave.
09:18Because we know that
09:19in certain moments
09:21the tracts of the form
09:22they lose completely the salt
09:25and they start to remove it.
09:26So, you have to wash it
09:27and intervene.
09:29Yes, yes.
09:29You see,
09:30because with the cheese,
09:31they have this...
09:33Yes, yes.
09:34I can tell my eyes
09:34that it is not the first one.
09:37In three months of salagione
09:39we have to maintain the fascia.
09:42Why the fascia?
09:43Because otherwise
09:44the weight of the shape
09:45until the season
09:46it will tend to...
09:48the weight of the shape
09:49will tend to...
09:50let's say
09:51the weight of the shape
09:52and deform it.
09:53If the environment is breathing,
09:55the cheese is oxygenated,
09:57it will remain clean.
10:02After three months
10:03the pecorino romano
10:04has completed
10:05the most critical part
10:06of its aging.
10:08And the priority
10:08becomes protecting it
10:10from drying out
10:11and preventing mold.
10:13Traditionally
10:14this was done
10:15using olive oil sediment
10:16mixed with vinegar
10:17or ash.
10:19Today
10:19it's done
10:20with a food grade
10:21plastic coating.
10:22We do it
10:23before we put the cheese
10:24in commerce
10:26according to the needs
10:26of the client
10:27and according to the market
10:29in which we are going to sell.
10:31In the past
10:32when we came out
10:33the tramontane
10:34which is then
10:34the north
10:35that tends to dry
10:37it happened
10:38that the cheese
10:39was protected
10:40in the surface
10:41with some grass
10:41to avoid
10:43the humidity
10:45in the surface
10:45and then
10:46the surface
10:48and the cheese
10:49could break
10:50so
10:51in the tradition
10:53laziale
10:54romana
10:54the cheese
10:55was treated
10:56with the olive oil
10:58mixed with the acid
10:59which was a natural
11:00which was
11:02then
11:02when it was not
11:03the olive oil
11:04as if only
11:05the olive oil
11:06tends to penetrate
11:08into the cheese
11:09the olive oil
11:11was added
11:11with the
11:12celery
11:13so
11:14adding
11:15the celery
11:16the outside
11:17became
11:18green
11:19black
11:19so
11:20the tradition
11:21of black
11:22comes from
11:22the past
11:24we can still see
11:26this older method
11:27in some of the other
11:28cheeses the company
11:29makes
11:29which still use
11:31olive oil sediment
11:32and vinegar
11:34when pecorino romano
11:35is coated
11:36in black
11:36woks
11:37the top and bottom
11:38of the wheel
11:39are often left uncoated
11:41for appearance
11:41in the past
11:43when olive oil sediment
11:44and vinegar
11:44were used instead
11:46coating those surfaces
11:47could trap moisture
11:49and air
11:49causing the cheese
11:50to develop mold
11:51because this
11:52material is
11:53very dense
11:54but when it comes to
11:55hot
11:56you can see
11:56all the characteristics
11:57of the cheese
11:59in practice
12:00it is often
12:00but when it loses
12:02water
12:02it becomes
12:02in the past
12:04in the past
12:04in the past
12:05this discourse
12:07here
12:07the cheese
12:08so white
12:08would not have
12:08ever had
12:09because
12:10the cheese
12:11became
12:12red
12:12oil
12:12and acid
12:13the cheese
12:15became
12:16brown
12:17or even
12:18even
12:19nero
12:19so
12:21there is
12:22in the collective image
12:24this figure
12:25of the pecorino
12:26romano
12:27nero
12:28scuro
12:29this is
12:30just
12:30it is
12:31true
12:31that
12:32especially
12:33the pecorino
12:36if not
12:36has
12:37black
12:37consumer
12:39innovator
12:40it is
12:40because
12:41it identifies
12:41that black
12:42as the quality
12:43of the cheese
12:43while the black
12:45was only a dress
12:46it is
12:47satisfying
12:51after all these years
12:52filming cheese
12:53I really earned this
12:55damn
12:56give me this pen
12:57give me
12:58give me
12:59you have to do this
13:00and this
13:01and this
13:02and this
13:02and this
13:02and this
13:04ok
13:06let's try
13:10I was trying to be respectful
13:12and
13:12you know
13:13be dangerous
13:15because
13:15I'm not sure
13:16that's working
13:16haha
13:23since not all cheeses are coated in black
13:25woks
13:26this step is now often replaced by vacuum sealing
13:29which protects the cheese and prepares it for longer aging
13:35vedi
13:3628
13:37zero
13:38sarebbe
13:3828 ottobre
13:40poi c'è uno
13:42perché noi in base alle polivalenti che facciamo là
13:45identifichiamo pure
13:46la prima polivalente
13:48la seconda
13:49la terza
13:49in modo che così abbiamo una tracciabilità perfetta
13:53per regolamento basterebbe quella mensile
13:55per noi abbiamo quella giornaliera e quella
13:59polivalente e polivalente proprio perché cambia il tipo di latte
14:02cambiano le condizioni
14:03quindi se domani ci fosse un difetto possiamo capire perché
14:07in this cold dry environment
14:09pecorino romano ages for a minimum of 12 to 15 months
14:13Giuseppe has even aged for up to 36 months
14:17which produces a sharper more pungent cheese
14:20questo è formaggio che risale a gennaio dello scorso anno
14:25quindi questo è formaggio che ha 12 mesi
14:28quindi quanti formaggi ci sono più o meno?
14:32saggionali?
14:33dentro il casificio in questo momento ci saranno 20.000 quintali di formaggio
14:37che tradotto in forma sono 60.000
14:39forse qualcosa in più
14:43About 80% of their cheese is bound for the United States
14:47a relationship that is deeply rooted in Ibuona Tavola's history
14:52se noi parliamo di pecorino romano
14:54il mercato statunitense è quello più importante
14:56si cerca di trovare nuovi mercati
14:58ma sicuramente il formaggio segue un'abitudine alimentare
15:03quindi sembra che negli Stati Uniti
15:05proprio in virtù del fatto che forse sono arrivati gli italiani
15:08forse è arrivata la cucina italiana
15:10è il mercato che assorbe più pecorino romano al mondo
15:14dall'altra parte per la nostra azienda è importante
15:17perché?
15:17perché noi siamo stati fra i primi esportatori degli Stati Uniti
15:20tanto è vero che l'azienda Fulvi c'ha l'ancora
15:24che dovrebbe essere del pesce, del tonno, del baccalà
15:27mentre invece no, del formaggio proprio
15:29in virtù del fatto che esportava con le navi verso gli Stati Uniti
15:33quindi questo marchio non deriva dal formaggio ma deriva dalle navi
15:37quindi erano i pecorini che viaggiavano
15:39che viaggiavano verso gli Stati Uniti
15:42questo ha permesso anche a questa azienda di sopravvivere
15:45nel senso che il nostro prodotto veniva apprezzato
15:49quindi veniva pagato dal consumatore
15:51un po' più di quanto veniva pagato in Italia
15:53e questo ci permetteva di finanziare le perdite italiane
15:57col mercato statunitense
15:58questo non è solo vero per questa compagnia
16:01per l'industria pecorino romano
16:03gli Stati Uniti è un mercato grande
16:06with exports worth roughly 170 million dollars a year
16:10and because so much of the cheese is sold abroad
16:13consumers worldwide experience the differences
16:16between Sardinian and Lazian pecorino romano first hand
16:20if you look closely the wax here is brown rather than black
16:23it's a reference to the color of olive oil sediment rather than ash
16:28and it's also a way for the company to visually distinguish its cheese
16:32Giuseppe's company sells mostly to boutique cheese shops
16:35where pecorino romano can retail for around 29 dollars per pound
16:40it's a more selective niche product aimed at consumers looking for something specific
16:45and harder to imitate
16:47Can you say that a third of these cormaggi is destined to...
16:51The US market
16:53That positioning has also helped the company
16:56weather more uncertain export conditions
16:58including the tariffs the United States considered imposing on European food products in early 2025
17:05I was worried about the price
17:08I wasn't worried about the price
17:09I was worried about the price
17:13the price of the price
17:14and the price of the price
17:16in particular, they go to a category of people that can allow the lusso to spend.
17:23What can they spend?
17:24It doesn't look like 20 cent.
17:27So you don't worry about it?
17:31We are on a market, so we are on the level,
17:34not a mass product,
17:36because the mass product can be substituted,
17:39this no, who compra food, compra food.
17:41But then I tell you something,
17:43on a plate of pasta, we have 30 grams of corn.
17:4730 grams, they don't make a difference.
17:51Despite recent trade tensions,
17:53exports to the U.S. have so far remained unaffected.
17:57The Roman cuisine is a, above all,
18:00that is valuable, and it costs less.
18:03If you talk about a cake and a cake,
18:05on a cake and a cake,
18:06there are 20 grams of pecorino on a plate of pasta.
18:09How much is a cake and a cake and a cake?
18:12If you have a family,
18:13among five people,
18:14with five euros,
18:15they eat and live.
18:17The Roman cuisine is a poor cuisine,
18:19but very comfortable.
18:21I have come in mind to eat parmigiano when I was 20.
18:24I have to eat parmigiano,
18:24so at home I have to eat parmigiano.
18:27So, you said,
18:28when you have 20 years old
18:29that I have to eat parmigiano?
18:31Or are they 20 years old?
18:33When I was 20 years old,
18:35now I have 22 years old.
18:37They have been forced by the time,
18:38because if you force everything,
18:40you can think that it is formed by the shoulder
18:44on the shoulder on the shoulder,
18:45on the shoulder.
18:46It's like I grew up, or there's something that doesn't go.
18:53Oh my God!
18:56Is it possible?
18:57This one doesn't want to break.
19:10The author feels that it's not sour, it's very sweet.
19:15It's very sweet, very delicate, creamy.
19:19It's very sweet.
19:20I've never seen it like this.
19:25It's very different.
19:28It's a great meal for you.
19:31This is the 12th of January, so today is the 13th of January.
19:36The date of housing.
19:39Wow, so it's been a year for this.
19:4330th of January.
19:49If you look at it, you can see it in a long time.
19:52You can see how it shines?
19:55Yes.
19:56According to the tradition, you have to have the love.
19:59Yes.
20:00The love is when it reaches the right degree of seasonings
20:06at a very low temperature.
20:08So when it comes to the seasonings,
20:13it's seasonings at the right point,
20:15and it's seasonings in the right way.
20:17The right one?
20:18The right one?
20:19The right one.
20:19The right one.
20:20It's the right one.
20:21The other one.
20:22The other one is my dreams.
20:24I couldn't bring this food.
20:27No, no.
20:28This is the milk.
20:29You're put it on the table and you're eating it.
20:31Really.
20:35Yeah, well, I can see very well the shine from here
20:39now that I'm close contact with this pegorio.
20:43This is close to what I've seen, I guess.
20:48thank you so much for watching if you have pecorino in your fridge or your pantry
20:53i encourage you to go and take a look and let us know where it's made do you know if
20:59it's made in sardinia or in rome and can you tell the difference
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