Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears. If a simple, inexpensive pleasure is discovered by everyone, it becomes expensive or unavailable. The proverb is used to argue for keeping a good secret — a restaurant, a recipe, a shortcut — to oneself, so that the crowd does not ruin it. It also carries a slightly ironic class dimension: the 'wise' person keeps the best things away from the masses.
The combination of aged Pecorino Toscano and fresh pears — particularly the small, wild 'pere volpine' — has been a staple of the Tuscan peasant table for centuries, but its sophistication was not always recognized by the urban elite. The proverb inverts the usual class dynamics of food: the peasant already knew the pleasure, while the city-dweller was warning others not to share it with him, suggesting that the city-dweller feared competition for the supply. In Renaissance Florence, Pecorino was produced on the estates of the great families and sold in the city markets — if peasants ate too much of it themselves, less would come to Florence. Food historians have traced the combination of cheese and pears to medieval Tuscan dietary texts. Today the saying is used humorously to protect any personal discovery — a quiet beach, a hidden trattoria, a reliable mechanic.
A celebrated Tuscan proverb attested from at least the seventeenth century; it reflects the long tradition of Pecorino production in the Sienese countryside and the Val d'Orcia, and the wild pear trees that dotted the Chianti hills.
A Florentine foodie refusing to reveal the name of a favourite hidden trattoria
No, non ti dico dove mangio il bistecca — al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere.
No, I won't tell you where I eat the bistecca — do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears.
A local guide showing tourists a deserted beach near Castiglioncello
Vi porto lì, ma giurate di non dirlo a nessuno. Al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere.
I'll take you there, but swear you won't tell anyone. Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears.
A wine merchant explaining why he doesn't advertise a particular small producer
Questo vino lo tengo per i clienti affezionati. Al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere — se lo scoprono tutti, il prezzo triplica.
I keep this wine for my regular clients. Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears — if everyone finds out, the price triples.
Two colleagues at a company discussing a productivity trick they've discovered
Questa funzione nascosta di Excel ci fa risparmiare due ore al giorno. Al contadino non far sapere quanto è buono il formaggio con le pere — teniamola per noi.
This hidden Excel feature saves us two hours a day. Do not let the peasant know how good cheese is with pears — let's keep it to ourselves.