42 BULLETIN 608, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
writers refer usually to the Lombardy cheese as Cacio 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 Yermenga. 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 and 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 
