Ricotta Cheese

Ricotta is a traditional Italian cheese which, unlike most others, is made not from milk but from the whey left after the production of other cheeses. Hence the name (Italian ricotta — “recooked”), for the whey is reheated.

During heating almost to boiling, the remnants of milk protein that did not go into the main cheese coagulate, rise as tender flakes, which are gathered into moulds to drain. Ricotta has a soft, moist, granular-creamy texture, a white colour, and a delicate, slightly sweet taste. It is an extraordinarily versatile product: ricotta is used as a filling for ravioli, cannelloni, and lasagne, made into desserts (notably the filling of Sicilian cannoli and cheesecakes), and spread on bread. In technology and taste ricotta is very close to the Ukrainian vurda. Light, nourishing, and thrifty, ricotta is a fine example of zero-waste cheesemaking.