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Romano
And Parmesan: The Difference
Alfred asks: I was reading today's Menu Daily about pasta amatriciana, and wondered whay you say that it's better to use Romano than Parmesan cheese. To me, Romano cheese has always been kind of the same, except cheaper. What's really the difference, anyway? Are the just from two different areas? Tom sez: Parmigiano and Romano cheeses are indeed from different areas--at least if they're from Italy. But that's not the biggest difference. They are made from different kinds of milk. Parmesan cheese is a cow's milk cheese. Romano cheese is made from sheep's milk. (If that strikes you as exotic, know that we eat many other sheep's milk cheeses--notably Roquefort.) There's a certain tang to Romano that's not present in Parmesan. In some dishes (like the amatriciana) that tang is very desireable. In others it would be a bit much. Other than that, the best versions of both cheeses (Parmigiano-Reggiano and Pecorino Romano) are made the same way, with very long aging times, giving the hard texture that works so well for grating. Revised 3/10/08 Copyright © 2008 Tom Fitzmorris. All rights reserved. |
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