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Cheese from Italy, Lazio

Caciotta genuina romana

Ewe milk, raw or pasteurised, is warmed, usually with a whey or culture starter added, and set with lamb, kid or calf rennet in about 20 minutes. Each area then breaks, cooks, warms and salts the curd in its own way. The cheeses ripen from two weeks to over six months and are washed with oil and vinegar.

Fully documentedCheese15 days – 17 daysTraditional food product (PAT, Lazio)Family: Uncooked or semi-cooked pressed cheese family (tomme, Saint-Nectaire, Reblochon, Morbier, Raclette)

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe method varies by area and dairy, and the sheet gives no batch size. Cheeses weigh 1–3 kg, and some over 30 kg.
Ewe milk from two milkingsChilled to 4 °C and filtered through cloth or a centrifuge[arsial-romana]
Starter (not in every area)Farm whey starter, mesophilic or thermophilic cultures; ONAF lists Sermoneta, Castel San Pietro Romano and Cellere with no starter[arsial-romana][onaf-sheet]
Lamb or kid paste rennet, calf powder rennet or liquid rennet[arsial-romana]
SaltDry salt or brine[arsial-romana]
Oil and vinegarFor washing the rind[arsial-romana]
Herbs and spicesoptionalSome makers flavour the curd[arsial-romana]
Starterfarm whey starter at 36 °C, mesophilic cultures at 36 °C, or thermophilic cultures at 38–39 °C, depending on the area; none in Sermoneta, Castel San Pietro Romano and Cellere

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 days – 17 days

Start
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68–75 °C

What changes: Ewe milk is used raw or pasteurised at 68–75 °C

Step 1 of 9
Prepare the milk
Time
0.2–0.4 min
Reported
Temperature
68–75 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: ewe milk from two milkings, chilled to 4 °C and filtered.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

At a glance

Ewe milk, raw or pasteurised, is warmed, usually with a whey or culture starter added, and set with lamb, kid or calf rennet in about 20 minutes. Each area then breaks, cooks, warms and salts the curd in its own way. The cheeses ripen from two weeks to over six months and are washed with oil and vinegar. Made in 9 steps over 15 days – 17 days. The longest step, dry and ripen, takes at least 15 days (ARSIAL (Lazio regional agency for agricultura…) and runs at 4–14 °C (ARSIAL (Lazio regional agency for agricultura…).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 15 daysReported[arsial-romana]Dry and ripen
Temperature4–14 °CReported[arsial-romana]Dry and ripen

What makes this one different

Made only from ewe milk, with methods that change from one dairy to the next. Cheese size follows the season, from 1–3 kg up to over 30 kg.

Rind
Thin, elastic, straw-yellow, darker when aged (ONAF)
Size
Cylinder, 1–3 kg, some over 30 kg; size follows the season

Related ferments

Variants

  • FreshShort ripening, about 15–20 days; sweet, white paste.
  • AgedMonths of ripening; semi-hard, slightly salty and piquant.
  • FlavouredHerbs and spices in the curd; ONAF names chilli, walnuts and hazelnuts.

Safety

Made from raw or pasteurised milk. Most areas add a whey, mesophilic or thermophilic starter, but ONAF lists Sermoneta, Castel San Pietro Romano and Cellere as using none. The Lazio list marks it as allowed to use derogations from the standard hygiene rules for its traditional methods.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

ARSIAL calls it historically tied to the Campagna Romana and its natural meadows. By tradition only ewe milk is used and the cheese size changes with the season. The INSOR atlas of typical products (I formaggi) names it among the most historic Lazio products. ONAF instead calls its history relatively recent, saying the caciotta arose once transhumance was given up and the cold chain developed, when makers sought a milder, less piquant cheese for a wider public.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [arsial-romana] ARSIAL (Lazio regional agency for agricultural development), Lazio patrimonio agroalimentare, tra biodiversità e tradizione, PAT sheet 'Caciotta genuina romana', p. 158gov
  2. [pat-lazio] Regione Lazio and ARSIAL, PAT Lazio 2026, Lazio section of the national list of traditional agri-food products (law 238/2016, art. 12), no. 97 'Caciotta genuina romana*' (* = hygiene derogation)gov
  3. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Caciotta genuina romana'web