Pecorino Cheese is a delicious hard cheese that is aged to perfection before enjoying but, is Pecorino Romano vegetarian?
Many Pecorino Romano Cheeses are not vegetarian friendly since animal by-products are used within the production process. It is possible to find vegetarian aged cheeses that do not contain animal products. Look for terms like vegetarian on the label.
Table of Contents
Can Vegetarians Eat Pecorino Cheese
The majority of Pecorino cheeses are not vegetarian-friendly because they contain animal by-products.
Does Pecorino Cheese Contain Animal Rennet
Pecorni-Romano is often made with animal-derived rennet.
What Is Rennet?
Rennet is an enzyme that is found within the stomach lining of a calf or goat’s stomach.
Why Is Rennet Used To Make Cheese?
The enzyme rennet is used to coagulate, separating the whey from the solids creating curds.
Can You Make Cheese Without Rennet?
Lactic acid is an alternative ingredient used to make cheese during the coagulation process.
Rennet and lactic acid create different results making one ingredient more suitable than the other depending on which type of cheese you are making.
Hard cheeses that are aged require a firmer more robust curd that can only be created by using rennet.
Is There A Vegetarian Rennet?
There are three different types of vegetarian ingredients that can be used instead of animal rennet.
- Vegetable Based Rennet (often from thistle, figs, and the nettle plant)
- Microbial (from fungi and mold scorces)
- Genetically Modified Rennet
Are There Any Vegetarian Cheeses Like Pecornio Romano
You will need to look closely at the ingredient list when shopping for cheese.
Luckily, there are many cheeses on the market that are suitable for vegetarians.
- Whole Foods 365 Parmesan Cheese
- Good & Gather Parmesan Cheese (shredded only)
- Kroger Parmesan Cheese
- Organic Valley
- Aldi Reggiano
- Trader Joe’s Grated Cheese
- Treasure Cave Cheese
- Miller’s Cheese
- Dutch Farms
- Caroselle
- Frigo
- Grande Cheese Company
- Kraft Parmesan
- Sartori
- Stella Cheese
What Animal Does Pecornio Cheese Come From
Pecorino is a hard cheese that is made from the milk of sheep giving it and robust earthy flavor.
Is Pecorino Cheese Similar To Parmesan
Although, both Pecorino and Parmesan are hard Italian cheeses that are often used interchangeably, they are very different cheeses.
Pecorino is made from sheep’s milk whereas Parmesan is made from cow’s milk.
The differences don’t just end there, Pecorino doesn’t need to age as long as Parmesan does.
Most Pecerinos are ready for use after aging for 5 to 8 months, whereas Parmesan ages for a minimum of 12 months.
Is Pecornio Romano And Romano The Same
Pecorino Romano and Romano are often not the same things.
Romano Cheese is usually made from using cow’s milk whereas, Pecorino Romano is a sheep’s milk product.
Is Tesco Pecorino Vegetarian
Tesco Pecorino is a vegetarian-friendly cheese.
Is Sainsbury Pecorino Cheese Vegetarian
You need to look closely at labels but, Sainsbury is known for carrying a Pecorino Cheese that is made with vegetarian rennet.
Is Morrisons Parmesan Vegetarian
Morrisons does carry many vegetarian cheeses. As always look closely at the labels to confirm.
Is Pecorino Romano Vegan
Pecorino Romano Cheese is not vegan friendly since it contains dairy products and is often an animal by-product rennet.
Is There A Vegan Pecorino Romano Cheese
Try using one of these vegan Parmesan cheeses in place of a traditional Pecorino cheese.
- Go Veggie Dairy Free Topping
- Go Pals Original Rawmesan
- NOOCH IT!
Final Thoughts
As a vegetarian cheese can be very tricky.
What may seem like a vegetarian-friendly food has horrendous animal by-products hidden within?
I think at some point vegetarians are caught off guard after eating cheese for many years and not realizing what they are eating.
Luckily there are vegetarian-friendly options, it just requires a little bit of patience and label reading.
