There caciotta, soft cheese that can be seasoned or semi-seasoned and made with any type of milk, it has a cylindrical shape and an unmistakable taste. The origin of this dairy product is quite recent. Initially it was made mostly with sheep's milk and during the colder months, to then be prepared with different types of milk, depending on the region. This cheese was invented above all as an alternative to pecorino, with the aim of creating a product that was sweeter and more delicate, but also faster and easier to prepare. In the kitchen it can be served as table cheese, eaten fresh in appetizers based on vegetables or fresh and dried fruit, or used cooked as delicious ingredient of savory pies, tartlets and patties.

In Italy there are many types of caciotta, including the drowned, colored and flavored specialties. Among the many regional varieties however, there are some particularly renowned ones, which stand out for their originality and for the excellence of quality. Let's find out the most important.

Guide to the most famous caciottas in Italy

Among the many Italian caciottas made from cow's, sheep's, goat's or buffalo's milk or mixed milk, the most popular ones are scattered throughout the country and have different characteristics.
The best known is the Tuscan caciotta, made with a mixture of pasteurized cow's milk (60-90%) and sheep's milk. It has a sweet taste and a soft paste and, locally, it is eaten mostly fresh, often accompanied with typical salami. Also noteworthy is the Tuscan sheep caciotta cheese PAT, which has been assigned the recognition of Traditional Agri-Food Product (PAT).

We move instead to Lazio to talk about the Genuine Roman Caciotta PAT, mainly produced in theRoman countryside and based on sheep's milk, which adds a little flavor to the typical sweetness of this cheese. It can be eaten both fresh, for example as an ingredient in veal with baby rocket or as a filling for sandwiches, or seasoned, often combined with broad beans as an alternative to pecorino romano.

The only Italian caciotta that has been awarded the PDO denomination (Protected Designation of Origin), obtained in 1996, is the Casciotta of Urbino. This cheese, typical of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, it is made with 70/80% of sheep's milk and the remaining 20/30% of cow's milk. Characterized by a soft paste and a sweet milk flavor, it lends itself to many gastronomic uses. For example, it can be combined with cold meats and sausages, with fresh vegetables and the Marche olives from Ascoli.

Also noteworthy is the Sicilian variant called Caciotta degli Elimi PAT, semi – cooked sheep 's cheese typical of the province of Trapani, and in particular of the Valle del Belice. To distinguish this caciotta is the ancient origin and the particular processing technique that includes a 30-day maturation in cell in rush containers.

The strangest types of caciotta

Caciottas, as well as other types of cheeses, can be flavored and flavored with other ingredients. Among the most famous and particular we have the caciotta caprina from Campania chili pepper and the Umbrian one with the addition of truffle. Then, from various regions, there are also caciotta with onion, black pepper, aromatic herbs, smoked and poached in red wine.
Finally, typical of the Siena area is a caciotta whose crest is flavored with tomatotherefore characterized by a red color which was once used to confer with lamb's blood.

Photo: caciotta_Kellerio2007_Flickr.jpg