Parco del Monte Cucco

The tradition of cheese matured in pits (infossato) dates back to the Etruscan period. After the curdling of milk, the product is flavored with different kinds of aromatic herbs. The maturation process lasts at least three months and takes place into pits: the process is not very different from the one used in Sogliano sul Rubicone (Province of Forlì).
The rounds are put into boxes or linen or cotton bags and then into pits dug into the ground. A variation is Pecorino di Botte, that is pecorino cheese which, instead of maturing into pits, matures into wooden barrels. In the past, the two maturation methods had the double aim to protect cheese from bacteria or pathogenic agents and to conceal it from thieves.