Cheese was traditionally made using fig-leaves, walnut leaves and wine marc. The idea was always to preserve the cheese and protect it from attacks by insects or other predators. Individual cheeses were placed in a wooden cask, one above another, either with layers of the leaves in between, or smothered in the wine marc. The cheeses absorbed the aroma of the surrounding layers of leaves or wine marc, and took on a delicate and pleasing flavour.


Pecorino
This is the oldest type of cheese, and is produced exclusively from sheep’s milk. After the milk has clotted, the curd is salted and the cheeses left to mature in the right environment. Ideally, the maturation process should last at least six months. The consistency of the cheese is creamy, with a compact texture. Pecorino has the taste of fresh sheep’s milk, but also a pungent, full-bodied flavor. It can be grated over pasta dishes or soups.
There a number of different forms and flavours of pecorino, such as the Fossa variety, or cheeses made with truffles, peppers, walnut leaves, fig-leaves and so on.

Pecorino Infossato
The tradition of making “formaggio infossato” (cheese stored in holes) dates from the time of the Etruscans. After the curd is made from the milk, it is seasoned with various types of aromatic herbs. The maturation process lasts for at least three months and involves a system of storage in underground pits, rather similar to the well-known procedure used at Sogliano sul Rubicone (in the Province of Forlì). The cheese forms are put into boxes, or bags made of cotton or linen and then placed in special holes dug into the ground.  A variation on this method is “Pecorino di Botte” (pecorino in the barrel) where, instead of being left to mature in holes, the cheeses are put into wooden barrels or casks. In the past, both methods of maturation had the dual purposes of protecting the cheese from bacteria or other contamination, and of concealing it from potential thieves.