Translated from Cinzia:
It was the shepherd who invented Marzolino – making a cheese from season’s first milk that they could produce while the waited for the other pecorino (sheep’s milk) cheeses to mature. Marzolino is the youngest of the pecorino cheeses, with a soft skin, in the familiar cylindrical form, always less than 500g. It has a micro-season – eaten in March as the name indicates. The taste of the cheese reflects the seasons first grasses and herbs eaten by the sheep. The curds are wrapped in the leaves of the cardoon, further infusing it with it famous grassy flavour.
Marzolino is as Tuscan as the Renaissance, enjoyed by the Medicis and the Grandukes of Tuscany, and immortalised by Boccaccio in his Decameron. For me personally, the tast of Marzolino always reminds me of my father. After a day of work in the food shop he owned in Florence, knowing it was one of my favorites, he always brought home a Marzolino as a treat for me for the few weeks when it was in season.
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Marzolino is typically eaten with fresh bacelli (Tuscan dialect for fava beans), honey or with spring onions. Cinzia is bringing up Marzolino for our supperclub dinners on Friday and Saturday of next week (12 & 13 March). We’re delighted to share these with our supperclub guests! Reservations @ info@cucinacinzia.com
