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Cheese from Italy, Sicilia

Ricotta di vacca

Sicilian cow ricotta is a boundary entry, set by heat and acid, not by microbes. Cow whey with salt and a little milk is heated in a tinned copper cauldron to about 90 °C, helped by a splash of soured whey (agra), until the ricotta rises. It is ladled into baskets that drain on a sloping table in cold water, and is eaten fresh or salted and dried as ricotta salata.

Fully documentedCheese15 min – 30 minPAT (traditional agri-food product, Sicilia)Family: Whey cheese (heat-precipitated whey protein) family

Recipe

No fixed amounts recordedThe sheets give the method, not a batch recipe. A ricotta weighs about 0.5–1.0 kg (ONAF).
Cow whey left from cheesemaking[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Raw whole cow milkOptional; ONAF gives about 10% of the whey volume[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
SaltONAF says a modest amount, if a lightly salted ricotta is wanted[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Soured farm whey (agra), pH 4–4.5A coagulation aid added near 80 °C (ONAF)[onaf-sheet]
StarterThe regional sheet gives the microflora as natural; a soured farm whey (agra) helps the proteins rise.

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 min – 30 min

Start
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What changes: Starting material: chilled, filtered cow whey in a copper cauldron

Step 1 of 5
Filter the whey
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
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

Sicilian cow ricotta is a boundary entry, set by heat and acid, not by microbes. Cow whey with salt and a little milk is heated in a tinned copper cauldron to about 90 °C, helped by a splash of soured whey (agra), until the ricotta rises. It is ladled into baskets that drain on a sloping table in cold water, and is eaten fresh or salted and dried as ricotta salata. Made in 5 steps over 15 min – 30 min. The longest step, add agra and let the ricotta rise, takes 15–30 min (ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori F…) and runs at 85–90 °C (Regione Siciliana 2024).

Key numbers
Main step15–30 minReported[onaf-sheet]Add agra and let the ricotta rise
Temperature85–90 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Add agra and let the ricotta rise
AciditypH 4–4.5Reported[onaf-sheet]Add agra and let the ricotta rise

What makes this one different

Made from cow whey, enriched with milk and salt in the cauldron and helped to set with soured whey; the baskets drain on a table of cold water. It can be turned into ricotta salata.

Ricotta salata
It may also be salted and kept up to 2 months on wooden boards in natural rooms
Rind
None; ivory, basket-marked truncated cone

Related ferments

Variants

  • Ricotta salataSalted and dried up to 2 months on wooden boards

Safety

Heated to about 90 °C and kept at 2–6 °C; it is eaten within a few days.

History and sources

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

The regional sheet cites the historian Antonino Uccello on ricotta making and its tools, and Carmelo Trasselli's study of the Palermo price lists of 1412–1440, where ricotta was among the most eaten foods.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Siciliana, Schede PAT Sicilia, XXIV aggiornamento (2024), sheet «Ricotta di Vacca» (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet «Ricotta di vacca»web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page «Ricotta di vacca» (id 1239)web