Cheese Database

Abertam cheese vs Pecorino Toscano

Abertam cheese

Facts

Milk
Sheep
Texture
Hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Czech Republic

Abertam cheese is a hard sheep's milk cheese from the Czech Republic. Makers press the curd into small, uneven balls rather than neat wheels. A thin natural rind turns yellow to orange, and the paste inside stays pale yellow and firm. The taste is strong, tangy, and a little acidic, with a clear sheep's milk character. It is sold as a table cheese and also used where a firm cheese needs to melt.

Pecorino Toscano

Facts

Milk
Sheep
Texture
Semi-hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Italy
Place
Tuscany
Status
PDO

Pecorino Toscano is a sheep's milk cheese from Tuscany, and the name is protected. Pecorino means a cheese made from sheep's milk, and Toscano places the style in Tuscany, with some making in nearby parts of central Italy. The wheels can be sold young and tender or older and firm. A young cheese is mild and good in slices on a board. An older cheese is drier and saltier, and it is the one to choose when you need to grate.