Casera Consortile del Pecorino di Farindola
The producers' consortium shop, opened 2001 in a basement of the renovated town hall. It sells Pecorino di Farindola from the member farms and also selects and ages the cheeses it sells.
About Formaggio degli sposi
Mixed-milk cheese of Farindola, made from half raw cow's milk and half raw sheep's milk and set with pig rennet, using a process very close to Pecorino di Farindola. The Gran Sasso park says it was made for weddings, the 'cheese of the spouses', and eaten fresh at wedding feasts held on the masserie. Production is very limited and now not only for weddings, depending on milk supply.
Made in: Farindola (province of Pescara)
On the plate
Decided in flavour but more delicate than Pecorino di Farindola, according to the Gran Sasso park, which says the pig rennet marks its aroma and taste just as it does in the pecorino.
Wine and cheese
What to pour with Formaggio degli sposi
Cerasuolo d'Abruzzo Abruzzo
Our pickThe mixed cow and sheep cheese of Farindola is decided in flavour but more delicate than the pecorino. A dry Cerasuolo with high acidity gives it freshness without tannin.
The grapes behind these winesMontepulciano
From the source
Where to buy and taste it
Cheese experiences nearby
Park itinerary no. 2: Su e giù per la Baronia
A 69 km driving loop from Barisciano, published by the Gran Sasso park, through Santo Stefano di Sessanio, Castel del Monte and Calascio. The park suggests buying Canestrato at a farm shop in Castel del Monte and stopping at the Campo Imperatore cooperative's dairy on the way back.
Formaggio degli sposi: questions
Why is it called the cheese of the spouses?
The Gran Sasso park says at Farindola a cheese was traditionally made for each wedding and eaten at the feasts held on the farms.
What is it made of?
The park says raw cow's milk and raw sheep's milk with pig rennet. The Masserie del Parco cooperative, which the park lists as a producer, describes it as half sheep and half cow.
Same cheeseboard
More cheeses from Abruzzo
Plan the trip
Visit Formaggio degli sposi country
Tastings and tours where it is made, and somewhere to stay.
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Sources: www.gransassolagapark.it, www.masseriedelparco.com. The drawing is made from the cheese's recorded shape, rind and paste, not a photograph.