Cheese Database

Pecorino Romano vs Roomano

Pecorino Romano, field guide plate
Pecorino Romano, photographed

Pecorino Romano

Facts

Milk
Sheep
Texture
Hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Italy
Place
Lazio, Sardinia, and Tuscany
Status
PDO

Pecorino Romano is a hard, salty sheep's-milk cheese. Pecora is the Italian word for sheep. Romano is the Roman style.

Roomano

Facts

Milk
Cow
Texture
Hard
Type
Pressed
Rind
Natural rind
Country
Netherlands

Roomano is a hard cow's milk cheese from the Netherlands, made in the pressed Dutch style associated with Gouda. It is aged for a long time, until the paste is dry, dense, and dotted with small crystals. Makers keep the butterfat lower than in a standard Gouda, so the wheel stays lean and the edges look sharper. The flavor is salty and sweet together, with toffee and roasted nut notes. It is a specialist cheese, not a mild everyday slice.