Pecorino Pepato is a gourmet Italian sheep's milk cheese studded with peppercorns. It's an intense, salty cheese that would be hard to appreciate on its own, but as a seasoning for pasta, especially with fava beans or tomato sauce, it is hard to match. Traditional pecorino pepato comes from Sicily, where it is part of the regional cooking.

Because the name is not protected legally, any pecorino producer could make a pepato. You may find this cheese at various stages of maturity.

This gourmet cheese has a pronounced farmers aroma and piquant, intense flavor that is sometimes a bit much on its own.