Pecorino
Another cause of pride of the dairy art of Corno alle Scale is pecorino, obtained from raw pure sheep's milk (or mixed sheep and cow's milk) giving the product a particular fragrance and aroma: as a matter of fact, the pasture can use essences that cannot be found in other areas of the Apennines, that is some characteristic vegetable species of the alpine grasslands, since Corno alle Scale represents for them the southern boundary.
Therefore, the strong local features combined with the skills of the local cheese-makers give birth to a very genuine product.
It is obtained from fresh sheep's milk: some of the sheep graze in Malghe del Baggioledo summer mountain pasture, in the area adjacent to Corno alle Scale Park. According to the tradition, in the period between 15th June and 15th September, the milk gets filtered and heated at different temperatures to obtain fresh or mature cheese. After curdling and making the whey drain from special molds, the cheese is left standing and gets salted. The maturation process, severely carried out on fir tree or poplar wooden boards, lasts from twenty days to a maximum of 12 months. Ricotta made with sheep's milk is also very nutritious: it is the traditional food of the farmers of the Apennines, deriving from the pecorino processing. The cheese whey, heated on the fire, coagulates until the ricotta surfaces. Ricotta is then gathered, put into molds, and left draining. It is ready after 5-6 hours, very fresh and delicious.
