Caprino is a goat’s milk cheese made throughout Italy - the name derives from the Italian word capra, meaning goat. It the region of Molise, it is produced mainly around Montefalcone del Sannio, in the province of Campobasso. Made from raw milk, it is dry-salted and left to mature for at least two months, but that period can be prolonged.
The crust is hard and straw-colored, while the interior remains white, soft, and moist. It is usually served as a table cheese, while the aged version can also be grated over pasta dishes.
This traditional Apulian delicacy is a cross between a cheese and fresh ricotta. Made with the mixture of milk from pasture-fed goats or sheeps, it is produced by combining ricotta and traditional cheese-making methods. The fresh milk is first heated to 85-90 degrees, then left to cool down to 37 degrees before adding the rennet, which causes both the milk and the whey to coagulate.
The end result is a soft, ricotta-like cheese, which becomes semi-hard and straw-yellow when aged for two or three months. Eaten fresh, it is fragrant, salty, and slightly acidic. When aged, it becomes tangier and is perfect both on its own or grated over local pasta dishes, such as orecchiette with basil-flavored tomato sauce.
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Ricotta forte is a traditional Apulian cheese. This white cheese is made from sheep's or goat's milk. The texture is creamy and spreadable, the aromas pungent, and the flavors spicy and intense. Originally, it was produced by the shepherds who made it as a way to use the surplus of ricotta production.
They placed it to wooden or clay containers with some salt, and the cheese was then mixed a couple times per week for at least 3 months. Finally, the cheese was covered with fig leaves and then left to mature and drain. Ricotta forte is traditionally spread on warm bread, and in the past it was offered to guests as a sign of welcome, always with some red tomatoes on the side.
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