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Cheese from Italy, Campania

Ricotta mantèca di MontellaRicotta di Montella

Ricotta is a boundary entry, set by heat and acid, not by microbes. Fat cow whey left from caciocavallo or scamorza is salted at about 1 kg per 100 litres, enriched with a little whey cream and heated to 82–85 °C, where a soured farm whey makes the proteins rise as flakes. The flakes are ladled into baskets on a sloping table and the creamy, straw-yellow ricotta is sold at once.

Fully documentedCheese10 minPAT (traditional agri-food product, Campania)Family: Whey cheese (heat-precipitated whey protein) family

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe regional sheet gives the salt dose per 100 litres of whey; there is no fixed batch size. Ricottas are sold in 0.5 kg and 1 kg baskets.
Fat cow whey from pasta filata cheesemaking (caciocavallo or scamorza)[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Saltabout 1 kg per 100 litres of whey[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Fresh whey creama small amount[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Acid farm whey kept from earlier batches (sieroinnesto acido), pH 4–4.5Added only when the whey is not acid enough[onaf-sheet][pat-sheet]
StarterA soured farm whey (pH 4–4.5) is added as the acid if the whey is not acid enough; no culture is described.

Total time across the recorded steps: 10 min

Start
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What changes: Salt and a little whey cream go into the fat cow whey

Step 1 of 4
Salt and enrich the whey
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The whey comes straight from caciocavallo or scamorza making; a little fresh whey cream is added.

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

Ricotta is a boundary entry, set by heat and acid, not by microbes. Fat cow whey left from caciocavallo or scamorza is salted at about 1 kg per 100 litres, enriched with a little whey cream and heated to 82–85 °C, where a soured farm whey makes the proteins rise as flakes. The flakes are ladled into baskets on a sloping table and the creamy, straw-yellow ricotta is sold at once. Made in 4 steps over 10 min. The longest step, heat and add the acid whey, takes at least 10 min (Regione Campania 2017) and runs at 82–85 °C (Regione Campania 2017).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 10 minReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Heat and add the acid whey
Temperature82–85 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Heat and add the acid whey
AciditypH 4–4.5Reported[onaf-sheet]Heat and add the acid whey

What makes this one different

A rich ricotta from fat whey with whey cream added, salted in the vat and set with soured farm whey. The regional sheet says its straw-yellow colour comes from the fat, and describes the texture as soft and buttery.

Rind
None; pale straw, glossy from the fat, with basket marks
Size
Truncated cone of 0.5 or 1.0 kg; the 0.5 kg form is lower
Season
Made all year

Related ferments

Safety

The regional sheet notes that holding the whey above 82 °C for at least 10 minutes, with cleaned and disinfected vats, tables and baskets, is what the sheet gives as its guarantee of the ricotta's microbiological and hygienic quality. It is not ripened and is kept cold for only a short time.

History and sources

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

The regional sheet traces the ricotta to at least the mid-1800s. A Montella cheesemaker held one of the first Italian export licences in the 1950s, and his son later made ricotta, treccia and scamorza in Bridgeport in the United States.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura, Prodotti tradizionali, 'Ricotta Mantéca di Montella' (page updated August 2017; copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Ricotta Mantèca di Montella'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Ricotta Mantèca di Montella' (id 1206)web