A pecorino pit-aged in the Monte Cucco area, high in the eastern Umbrian Apennines between Gubbio and Gualdo Tadino. The wheels are sealed in cloth sacks and buried underground, where they mature with little oxygen and under the weight of the cheese above. That airless rest sets it apart from any pecorino aged in open air: the flavor concentrates, the paste turns firm and crumbly, and the aroma grows deep, with woodland notes. Its dark rind, not for eating, shows the months spent underground.

It is known as pecorino umbro etrusco di fossa, a name this area ties to its ancient roots and to the old practice of keeping cheese safe underground. This is a local, small-scale cheese, not a supermarket one.

Serve it at room temperature, at the end of a meal or on a board, on its own or with honey and fruit mostarda. It holds up to full-bodied Umbrian reds, from Montefalco to Sagrantino.

Weight: sold as vacuum-packed pieces 500 gr. ca.