Cacioricotta
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Cacioricotta is a southern Italian cheese from Basilicata, Apulia and Calabria, usually made with sheep or goat milk. Its name comes from the hybrid method behind it, which borrows steps from both ricotta and hard cheese making.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Specific Origin | Basilicata, Calabria, Puglia, Campania |
| Milk Type | Goat's, occasionally Sheep's and Cow's mix |
| Milk Treatment | Heated |
| Rind | None when fresh, straw-color when aged |
| Flavor | Sweet to salty, spicy |
| Aroma | Cooked milk |
| Colors | White to straw |
| Forms | Wheel |
| Age | Fresh or 3 to 6 months |
| Rennet Type | Added after cooling to 38 to 40°C |
What is Cacioricotta Cheese?
Cacioricotta comes from southern Italy, where it is produced in Basilicata, Apulia and Calabria. It carries recognition as a prodotto agroalimentare tradizionale, with named variants in several regions: Cacioricotta in Basilicata and Calabria, Cacioricotta di capra cilentana in Campania, Cacioricotta di bufala in Lazio, and Cacioricotta salentina in Apulia.
The making is a hybrid. It follows the steps used for ricotta and the steps used for hard paste cheese at the same time, which is where the name comes from. Sheep or goat milk is the usual choice. Cow milk and water buffalo milk turn up less often.
Filtered milk is heated to boiling point, then left to cool to 38 to 40 degrees before rennet goes in. Because the liquid passes close to 90 degrees on the way up, the curd takes in casein and albumin along with it. That is the difference from ricotta, where whey ends up as a by-product instead.
How Does Cacioricotta Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Cacioricotta against.
