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Cheese from Italy, Abruzzo

Ricotta stagionata di pecoraRicotta salata abruzzese

Ricotta stagionata di pecora is a boundary entry, set by heat, not by microbes. Whey left from raw whole sheep milk is filtered and heated with stirring to 78–85 °C, and the flakes drain in baskets for 24 hours. It is dry-salted with 10–20 g of salt per kg and dried at least a month on shelves or reed racks in airy rooms.

Fully documentedCheese31 daysPAT (traditional agri-food product, Abruzzo); entry 149 of the Abruzzo section of the 2022 national list, as 'Ricotta stagionata di pecora, Ricotta salata abruzzese'Family: Whey cheese (heat-precipitated whey protein) family

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe sheets give the method and a salt dose per kg of ricotta, not a batch recipe. Each ricotta weighs 0.3–2.0 kg.
Whey (not exhausted) from raw whole sheep milk cheesemakingGentile di Puglia, Sopravissana, Comisana, Pagliarola, Sarda or crosses, now also Lacaune; ONAF also allows cow whey[abruzzo-pat][onaf-sheet]
Salt10–20 g per kg of ricotta[abruzzo-pat][onaf-sheet]
Lactic or citric acid (optional)Helps the whey sour quickly[onaf-sheet]
StarterHeat makes the curd, sometimes helped by lactic or citric acid.

Total time across the recorded steps: 31 days

Start
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What changes: Starting material: sheep whey left from cheesemaking, filtered through cloth

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

Whey left from cheesemaking with raw whole sheep milk is filtered through a fine sieve topped with a cloth.

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 stagionata di pecora is a boundary entry, set by heat, not by microbes. Whey left from raw whole sheep milk is filtered and heated with stirring to 78–85 °C, and the flakes drain in baskets for 24 hours. It is dry-salted with 10–20 g of salt per kg and dried at least a month on shelves or reed racks in airy rooms. Made in 5 steps over 31 days. The longest step, dry on racks, takes at least 30 days (Regione Abruzzo).

Key numbers
Main stepat least 30 daysReported[abruzzo-pat][onaf-sheet]Dry on racks
Temperature78–85 °CReported[abruzzo-pat][onaf-sheet]Heat with stirring until flakes form

What makes this one different

Born on mountain pastures where fresh ricotta could not be sold in time, it is salted and dried to travel and keep. The heating temperature, the salt and the drying time set how creamy or chalky it ends up.

Rind
Thin, clean or with bloom; marked by the rush baskets; milk-white, ochre or black with age
Size
Cylinder, 0.3–2.0 kg
Season
Made all year

Related ferments

Safety

The whey is heated to 78–85 °C, then salted and dried. The Abruzzo sheet requires a health permit for the rooms and allows traditional ones by derogation.

History and sources

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

Transhumant shepherds dried their ricotta to carry and keep it. ONAF traces ricotta itself back to Columella's De re rustica.

Microbes
No study we found names its microbes.
  1. [abruzzo-pat] Regione Abruzzo, PAT sheet 'Ricotta stagionata di pecora (ricotta salata abruzzese)'gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (national organisation of cheese tasters), technical sheet 'Ricotta stagionata di pecora'web
  3. [pat-national] MiPAAF, Elenco nazionale dei prodotti agroalimentari tradizionali ai sensi dell'articolo 12, comma 1, della legge 12 dicembre 2016, n. 238, Allegato I (22nd revision, 2022; copy hosted by Regione Puglia, veg.biodiversitapuglia.it)gov