Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta cheese is an Italian cheese made from whey, the by-product of cheese-making. Italian ricotta is typically made from sheep or water buffalo milk and tastes nutty and sweet. American ricotta is made of cow's milk and is blander and wetter.

Fast Facts

1. From the Italian for "re-cooked"
2. Around 5% fat
3. Frequently used in lasagna, cheesecake, cannoli, or cookies
4. Produced from the whey of other Italian cheeses
5. Technically not a typical "cheese" but a "whey cheese"

The Five Ricottas

1. Ricotta: Fresh, soft, creamy substance. Similar to Mascarpone cheese, but chunkier.
2. Ricotta salata: Dried, pressed and salted. used for grating.
3. Ricotta infornata: Baked until it becomes a sandy brown color. Popular in Sicily and Sardinia and is also called Ricotta al forno.
4. Ricotta affumicata: Smoked ricotta put in a smoker until it takes on the charred flavor of oak or chestnut wood along with herbs or juniper berries.
5. Ricotta scanta: A soured and salted ricotta that ages for 100 days and has the consistency of cream cheese. Pungent and slightly bitter.

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