Pecorino Romano PDO Cappa Bianca Whole Wheel ~26 kg — Auricchio

Pecorino Romano DOP by Auricchio is a hard sheep's-milk cheese from Sardinia, produced under the PDO specification with whole sheep's milk, natural lactic ferments and lamb rennet. This is a whole wheel (white cap) of about 26 kg, aged at least 5 months, with an aromatic, savoury and mildly piquant flavour that becomes intensely sharp in long-aged batches. It is the defining grating cheese of Roman cuisine, marked by the Pecorino Romano Protection Consortium.

What Pecorino Romano DOP is

Pecorino Romano is one of the oldest cheeses in the Mediterranean, mentioned by Latin authors such as Pliny the Elder as a staple ration for Roman legions. It is a hard cooked-curd cheese made exclusively from whole sheep's milk. The PDO disciplinare (EC Regulation) restricts production to Sardinia, Lazio and the province of Grosseto, using native lactic ferments and lamb rennet from the same area. Every wheel carries the origin stamp of the Protection Consortium: a stylised sheep's head inside a rounded diamond.

Origin and the Auricchio house

This Pecorino Romano DOP is produced in Sardinia, the historic heartland of the cheese. It is selected and aged by Auricchio, an Italian cheese house founded in 1877 by Gennaro Auricchio near Naples and based in Cremona since the first half of the twentieth century. Auricchio is one of Italy's most established cheese names, exporting to the United States as early as the 1880s, and today curates the selection and ageing of this whole wheel for professional catering.

Sensory profile

The paste is compact, sometimes lightly eyed, ranging in colour from white to straw-yellow depending on ageing. The aroma is clearly reminiscent of sheep's milk. On the palate it is savoury and mildly piquant when young (table version, from 5 months) and intensely sharp and peppery when aged for grating (from 8 months). The break is flaky, a sign of a correctly matured hard cheese. The white cap (cappa bianca) indicates a natural rind without the black food-grade coating used on some grating versions.

Technical specifications

Whole cylindrical wheel of approximately 26 kg, ingredients sheep's milk (about 95 percent), salt and lamb rennet. The cheese contains milk and is therefore an allergen for milk and lactose. Minimum ageing 5 months for table use, 8 months for grating. Store the wheel at 4-8 C; once cut, wrap the exposed face and keep refrigerated.

Professional uses

Pecorino Romano DOP is the soul of four Roman pasta classics: cacio e pepe (grated raw and emulsified with starchy pasta water and black pepper), pasta alla gricia (with guanciale), amatriciana (with guanciale and tomato) and carbonara (with egg yolk and guanciale). Use about 80-100 g of grated cheese per portion of pasta. It also seasons spring lamb with broad beans, and is served in flakes on a cheese board with chestnut honey and raw fava beans. Add it off the heat or at the end of cooking to keep its aroma and avoid stringiness.

Pairings

Pair with bronze-drawn dry pasta such as spaghetti alla chitarra or Gragnano IGP spaghetti for the canonical Roman dishes, with extra virgin olive oil and cracked black pepper. On a tasting board, combine with cured meats, raw broad beans, pears and a robust red wine. For a sweet-savoury contrast, serve flakes with acacia or chestnut honey.

Delivery and logistics

B2B and B2C refrigerated delivery throughout Switzerland from the LAPA warehouse in Embrach (Zurich). Cold chain at 2-4 C guaranteed by the LAPA fleet across Zurich, Winterthur, Uster, Aargau, St. Gallen, Lucerne, Zug and Basel. For Ticino (Lugano, Bellinzona, Locarno), French-speaking Switzerland (Geneva, Lausanne, Vevey, Sion), Valais and mountain regions (Davos, St. Moritz, Chur) delivery within 24-48 hours via certified food-grade couriers (Swiss Post Frigo-Express, Planzer, Galliker, Camion Transport). Service tailored for restaurants, pizzerias, trattorias, hotels, delicatessens, Italian grocery stores and private customers passionate about Italian cuisine.

Who it is for

The whole 26 kg wheel is designed for restaurants, trattorias, pizzerias, hotels and delicatessens that grate or portion Pecorino Romano daily and want optimal yield, long cold-room storage and the guarantee of a PDO cheese marked by the Protection Consortium.