Maiorchino of Nebrodi

Biagio Mazzù - CC4.0

Maiorchino is a cheese with a centuries-old history, it seems to date back to the seventeenth century, produced with the milk of sheep reared on the pastures of the Peloritani mountains using traditional tools of wood or copper. It is one of the largest pecorino cheeses in Italy, both for its structure and for its quality and its aptitude for prolonged aging is also remarkable. It is produced from February until the second decade of June in very small quantities, processing raw sheep's milk, with an addition of about 30% of goat's milk, combining kid or lamb rennet in paste. The very complex production technique and the long seasoning make the production costs high compared to the market. In fact, the Maiorchino is in danger of disappearing. Even today, on Tuesdays during Carnival, in Novara di Sicilia the traditional "tumbles" is carried out with seasoned wheels: the shepherds compete by making them roll along the slope of the main street of the town.