A good Pecorino aged in pit is prepared only in spring or early summer. After production, it is left to mature for 60 days to complete the first fermentation. In the middle of August the wheels are placed in jute sacks and lowered into the pit which is closed and sealed until mid-November for Santa Caterina (removal day).
A good Pit pecorino has the classic deformation due to the pressing it undergoes in the pit. It expresses straw smells, autumnal aromas of undergrowth earth. Traditionally, this cheese arises from the need to defend the precious food from raids in battles. The pits (FOSSE) are underground cavities carved into the sandstone rock in the shape of a flask or pear, used in past centuries to preserve cereals; starting from the seventeenth / nineteenth centuries they are used for the maturation of cheeses produced in spring. It is a unique method in the world to preserve cheeses, increases their quality and keeps them fresh and buttery.
