42 BULLETIN 608, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



writers refer usually to the Loixibardy cheese as Oacio or Formaggio Grana 

 Lodigiano, Lodi being an important center of trade, and to the Emilian cheese 

 as Grana Parmigiano or Reggiano. The Lodi cheese is larger and made from 

 a poorer quality of milk than the Reggian, which is colored and brings a much 

 higher price. The following description of the process of manufacture applies 

 to both kinds : 



The milk, which has been skimmed to a greater or less extent, is heated in 

 copper kettles to a temperature varying, according to the acidity of the milk, 

 from 90° to 100° F. The kettle is then removed from the fire, rennet added, 

 and the kettle covered and allowed to stand for 20 minutes to one hour, when the 

 curd is cut very fine and cooked, with stirring, to 115° or 125° F. for from 15 to' 45 

 minutes. The curd is removed from the kettle by means of a cloth, and after 

 draining for a short time is put into hoops about 10 inches high and 18 inches 

 or more in diameter, and lined with coarse cloth before filling. Pressure is 

 then applied for 24 hours, the cheese being turned frequently and the cloths 

 changed. The salting, which is begun in from one to three days after remov- 

 ing from the press, is continued for a considerable length of time, often 40 

 days. The cheeses are then transferred to a cool, well-ventilated room, where 

 they may be stored for years, the surface being rubbed with oil from time to 

 time. The exterior of the cheese is dark green or black, due to coloring matter 

 rubbed on the surface. A greenish color in the interior has been attributed to 

 the contamination with copper from the vessels in which the milk is allowed to 

 stand before skimming. 



The Lombardy cheese made from April to September is known locally as 

 Sorte Maggenga and that from October to March as Sorte Vermenga. The Reg- 

 gian cheese is made only in summer. 



Parmesan cheese when well made may be broken and grated easily and may 

 be kept for an indefinite number of years. It is grated and used largely for 

 soups and with macaroni. A considerable quantity of this cheese is imported 

 into this country and sells for a very high price. 



PECORINO. 



The Formaggi Pecorini are the sheep's-milk cheeses made in Italy and of 

 which there are numerous more or less clearly defined kinds. The most com- 

 mon cheese of this sort is the one designated Cacio Pecorino Romano, or 

 merely Romano. This varies considerably in size and shape. A cheese of 

 ordinary size is about 10 inches in diameter and 6 inches in thickness and 

 weighs from 2 to 25 pounds. The interior is slightly greenish in color, some- 

 what granular, and devoid of eyes or holes. In making Romano cheese the 

 milk is heated to 100° F. and coagulated by rennet in 15 minutes. The curd 

 is cut, cooked to 120° F., stirred, put into forms, and allowed to drain. Salting 

 is done both by immersion in brine and by rubbing salt on the surface. As 

 much as 7 or 8 per cent of salt is usually incorporated in the course of one 

 month. This process is sometimes facilitated by punching several holes in the 

 cheese. Ripening is usually done at a temperature of 60° or 70° F. and requires 

 eight months or longer. 



The Pecorino Dolce is artificially colored with annatto and subjected to con- 

 siderable pressure in the process of manufacture. 



Pecorino Tuscano is a smaller cheese than the Romano, measuring usually 6 

 inches in diameter aud 2 or 4 inches in thickness and weighing from 2 to 5 

 pounds. 



Among the sheep's-milk cheeses bearing local names are the following: An- 

 cona, Cotrone, Iglesias, Leonessa, Puglia, and Viterbo. In the manufacture of 



