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Ricotta

Ricotta is a moist curd cheese made from sheep's milk and can be either mild or strong, according to region.

In Piedmont and around Rome it is eaten very fresh with pepper and salt, or sometimes with coffee and sugar sprinkled on it.

It can be used in cooking sweet and savoury dishes.

In southern Italy ricotta forte is made from salted sheep's milk.

It can be dried in the sun or in an oven and grated for cooking.

This, strictly speaking, is not really a cheese but a sort of by-product of cheesemaking. It is made from the drained whey and then cooked; in Italian, the word ricotta means re-cooked. It has a mild, fresh lactic flavour and contains only 14 per cent fat. It is actually delicious just by itself served with summer fruits, and I have eaten it freshly made in Apulia, Italy, sprinkled with coarse salt, pepper and olive oil, with really good bread.