Formaggio di capra
Formaggio di capra is a cheese made by transforming goat's milk. It is sold fresh or ripened, sometimes rolled in ash, and it carries the tangy, goaty taste that comes from the fatty acids in goat milk.
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Milk Type | Goat's milk |
| Milk Treatment | Raw |
| Rind | Sometimes ash-coated |
| Texture | Soft when fresh, dry and brittle when well aged |
| Flavor | Tangy |
| Aroma | Goaty |
| Colors | White |
| Rennet Type | Animal |
| Also Known As | goat milk cheese |
What is Formaggio di capra Cheese?
Formaggio di capra is goat's milk cheese. There are many kinds of it, and France leads the world in production, at least counting output that is properly recorded. The French are also the biggest consumers.
The curd is mixed but mainly lactic. Milk sets with kid rennet plus the acidity of lactic bacteria grown from whey saved a day or two earlier. As the curd shrinks it cracks, the whey runs off, and the pH settles between 4 and 4.5. Curd ladled into perforated moulds gives a slightly grainy, acidic fresh cheese; moulding by machine, after three or four days of pre-draining, gives a smoother paste with a stronger taste.
Some wheels are dusted with powdered beech charcoal. The ash brings potash that cuts the acidity and feeds the moulds, so ripening moves faster and the flavor opens up. Rush the affinage and the mould never develops properly, which leaves the cheese bitter.
Fresh goat cheese is mild and acidic. With long ripening it dries out and the paste turns brittle, breaking into layers like slate.
It is eaten fresh or ripened, in salads, warmed on bread as in salade de chèvre chaud, or served with fruit jam. Producers also finish it with grapes, herbs, spices or honey, or keep it in ash, oil or alcohol.
How Does Formaggio di capra Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Formaggio di capra against.
