Romano Cheeses

There are different kinds of Pecorino they are Romano, Sardo, Sicilliano, and Toscano. All have different flavors. I am sure you had one of these as they are very good. Do not buy any of these pre-grated.:chef:

Why is it bad to buy cheeses pre grated? I never buy pre grated because I like to cut the parmesan, asiago, whatever cheese I get, into slices to nibble on. I always hear stay away from pre grated but why?

They lose flavor quickly once grated.

Might it be Locatelli Romano? It's strong, dense and sharp. My Italian family uses this cheese to sprinkle on pasta, much as most of the rest of the country uses Parmesan.

Pregrated cheese loses flavor. aroma and moisture content much faster then a wedge or chunk. It will also tend to mold faster. The other factor is it can be blended with a lower quality cheaper cheese and you could not tell, or blended with whey , which is a cheap by- product of cheese making.

Most of the packaged pre-grated cheeses have been lying around for ages, and are made to do just that. To do that they must have some form of preservatives.

I get my parmigiano grated at the grocery store, since i use it quickly, and it's fine for putting in dishes, and it can be packaged well, pressing the air out, and kept in the freezer, too. I also keep a piece to nibble on, and if a dish really relies on the parmigiano on top for main flavor, i can always grate some. I donl;t know if they grate parmigiano in the states in the store though. Here you choose the piece you want, and they put it in the electric grater. Bought within the week and mixed into the pasta, i doubt anyone could tell the difference. Not the same story for the Kraft type pre-grated, factory stuff. It's probably not even cheese.

As for romano cheese, it;s actually pecorino romano, which simply means Roman sheep cheese. Sheep cheese can taste very strong, you have to like the taste. The usual romano is very sharp. If it tastes pukey, it;s probably old, grated and left there, or an inferior cheese, though it may be the sheepy taste you detect and that is a matter of taste. The usual one is large, and has a black crust, but i';ve seen it in cylinder form too. Any sheep cheese made around rome would be romano.

Hi KoKopuffs :)

I do love cheese, and I try to get a taste of as many different kinds as I can (much like everyone else I'm sure). But one thing that I always find is that Romano cheese is distinctively Romano. Even with the variations from one maker to another...it is still just soooo Romano.

Even other sheep's milk cheeses don't taste quite like a Romano. Pukey? Well, it shouldn't taste like puke...but it is strong, sharp and right in your face with it's flavor. The only Romano cheese that I've come across that don't have these qualities have been cheaper brands (like BelGioioso Cheeses) found in grocery stores. The cheaper Romano's seem to be too young with little flavor and relatively soft for my liking (when talking about Romano).

On the other hand...if you've found something that you like...go back and find out what it was!

have fun!
dan