Semi-mature Cacioricotta di capra del Cilento

The name derives from the milk coagulation technique: partly rennet-based (characteristic of cacio) and partly heat-based (characteristic of ricotta).

The farm owns about 100 Saanen goats. Depending on the season, the animals graze on approximately 100 hectares of farmland, where they feed on wild plants, or are housed indoors, where they are fed fodder and cereals produced organically on the farm.

CACIORICOTTA DEL CILENTO

One of the symbols of southern Italy's cheesemaking tradition. Animal welfare: breeding is natural and takes place on the farm. The animals are not subjected to any mutilation, and the kids are fed their mothers' milk. At night and during the indoor housing period, the goats are kept in group pens with straw bedding.

Animals at the end of their productive lives and kids intended for slaughter are taken to a slaughterhouse about 30 kilometres from the farm.

Processing: kid rennet is added to the milk from 2 milkings. The resulting curd is cut into granules, heated, placed in cylindrical moulds and pressed by hand. The cheese is dry-salted, and no fermentation cultures of any kind are used in its production. Production period and maturation: Cacioricotta del Cilento is produced almost all year round and matures in climate-controlled rooms for up to 60 days. Its shelf life can be extended by storing it in glass jars or terracotta crocks filled with extra virgin olive oil.

The cheese: Cacioricotta del Cilento is made from thermised whole goat's milk. It is cylindrical and rindless, with a soft, white interior that becomes chalky and yellowish as it matures and develops a slightly piquant flavour. The name derives from the milk coagulation technique: partly rennet-based (characteristic of cacio) and partly heat-based (characteristic of ricotta).

The area: Agriturismo I Moresani raises kids and produces cacioricotta in Casal Velino, in the Cilento, Vallo di Diano and Alburni National Park, at about 170 metres above sea level. The animals: the farm owns about 100 Saanen goats. Depending on the season, the animals graze on about 100 hectares of farmland, where they feed on wild plants, or are housed indoors, where they are fed farm-produced cheeses and cereals (maize, field beans, peas, barley).