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Cheese from Italy, Sardegna

Casu friscuSu casu friscu

Whole ewe milk is pasteurised, cooled to 35–36 °C and set with calf rennet in about 30 minutes. The curd is broken to walnut size, packed into perforated moulds and kept warm and humid so it sours and drains, then briefly brined. It is sold within a week, wrapped in parchment and kept at 4–6 °C, for grilling or as a filling.

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe sheets give no amounts. Size and weight vary from dairy to dairy.
Whole ewe milk, pasteurised[pat-friscu][onaf-friscu]
Liquid calf rennet[pat-friscu][onaf-friscu]
SaltA short brining[onaf-friscu]

Total time across the recorded steps: 30 min

Start
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35–36 °C

What changes: Whole ewe milk is pasteurised, then cooled to 35–36 °C

Step 1 of 6
Pasteurise and cool the milk
Time
Not documented
Temperature
35–36 °C
Reported
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

Output: pasteurised milk at setting temperature.

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

Whole ewe milk is pasteurised, cooled to 35–36 °C and set with calf rennet in about 30 minutes. The curd is broken to walnut size, packed into perforated moulds and kept warm and humid so it sours and drains, then briefly brined. It is sold within a week, wrapped in parchment and kept at 4–6 °C, for grilling or as a filling. Made in 6 steps over 30 min. The longest step, set with calf rennet, takes 30 min (ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori F…).

Key numbers
Main step30 minReported[onaf-friscu]Set with calf rennet
Temperature35–36 °CReported[pat-friscu][onaf-friscu]Pasteurise and cool the milk

What makes this one different

It is a fresh ewe caciotta made from pasteurised milk and sold within a week. It is meant for cooking, as the cheese in Sardinian formaggelle pastries and ravioli, more than for the table.

Rind
None; white surface
Size
Variable by dairy; cylinder with flat faces

Related ferments

Safety

The milk is pasteurised and the cheese is sold within a week. The regional sheet keeps it in the fridge at 4–6 °C.

History and sources

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

Dairy records and spoken accounts show the same method for more than 25 years. It is made from February to September.

Starter
The sources we found do not say how its fermentation begins.
Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [pat-friscu] Laore Sardegna (regional agricultural development agency), Prodotto tradizionale della Sardegna, sheet 'Casu friscu' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-friscu] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Casu friscu', PAT Regione Sardegnaweb
  3. [onaf] ONAF, scheda formaggio 'Casu friscu' (id 366)web