You might have heard about pecorino cheese. It is a delicious type of hard cheese. It is aged before you can enjoy it and is popular. However, is pecorino cheese suitable for vegetarians?
If you are a vegetarian, you have to be careful about what you eat. In this brief post, we will discuss whether pecorino is favorable for a vegetarian. Let’s dive right in.
Is Pecorino Cheese Vegetarian?
The first thing you should know is that most cheese includes rennet, which is produced from calves’ guts. Therefore, it would not be right to say that cheese containing rennet is vegetarian.
Now, does pecorino cheese contain animal rennet? Pecorino cheese contains two enzymes. These enzymes are from animal meat. They are Lipase and rennet. The reason why rennet is used is that it helps in coagulation. It will separate why from other solids.
To be sure that the cheese you have is vegetarian, be careful about the ingredients, making sure that you understand the source of each.
Can you get Vegetarian Pecorino?
Now, you do not have to use rennet for the coagulation process. Lactic acid can act as an alternative for making cheese during coagulation. They have different results with rennet. That means that one works better than another. Types of hard cheese that go through aging need a robust and fir curd, which can only come from rennet.
Is there are vegetarian rennet? Vegetarian rennet is an alternative to lamb rennet. It makes it a suitable choice for vegetarian diets. What’s more, the authentic taste is not lost. There are several options. Vegetable-based rennet is often from figs, thistles, or the nettle plant. The microbial option is from mold and fungi sources. There is also a genetically modified form of rennet you can use.
Regardless, it is possible to find some vegetarian pecorino that uses lactic acid.
Is there any vegetarian cheese like Pecorino Romano? As we pointed out before, you will need to be extra careful. Check the ingredients before you choose a certain cheese. Different types of cheese are vegetarian and similar.
Some of these include Organic Valley, Whole Foods 365 Parmesan Cheese, Kroger Parmesan Cheese, Miller’s Cheese, Aldi Reggiano, and many more.
Vegan Alternatives to Pecorino
Assume you are making some pesto for your vegan friends. Pesto can indeed work perfectly without the cheese. However, cheese gives it something extra to make it unique. You would need to find a vegan substitute that will work well and give you a close taste. So, what do you do? Are there alternatives that would suit the task?
You can choose cheese from Daiya, a brand that has great reviews. For this brand, the mozzarella products, coupled with parmesan will work perfectly even with the consistency.
In Conclusion
Is all Pecorino Cheese vegetarian? After checking out the ingredients of most pecorino cheese, we have found that most include rennet, which is produced from animal guts. Therefore, we can conclude that most are not good for vegetarian diets.
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