ROMSO Cyprus Knowledge Base

--CONTENT --
Rickòta (, from Latin recocta) is an Italian dairy product similar to creamy curd. It is made from whey from sheep's, cow's, goat's or buffalo's milk left over from the production of other cheeses.

With many ancient origins, ricotta is defined as a cheese of the poor and because it satisfied the nutritional needs of the lower layers, providing nutritious and cheap food. Food with significant nutritional value, it is consumed fresh, sometimes salted, or used to fill ravioli and prepare sweets and desserts. The Roman ricotta is especially appreciated by the more oily sheep's milk. Other special species are Sicilian ricotta and Pulian ricotta (so-called Strong ricotta) which is salty and ripe.

Etymology
The name comes from the Italian ricotto, past communion of the verb ricuocere (cook again), i.e. cooked again.

History
The production of ricotta on the Italian peninsula dates back to the Bronze Age. In 2,000 BC ceramic vessels, called milk boilers, began to appear frequently and are evidently unique to the peninsula. They are designed to boil milk at high temperatures and to prevent chipping. Fresh acid-coagulated cheeses produced with these boilers are probably made from whole milk.

The production of coagulated cheese with rennet, however, precedes the production of fresh whole cheeses in 1 thousand BC. Bronze cheese graters found in the tombs of the Etruscan elite prove that hard grated cheeses were popular among the aristocracy. Cheese graters were also often used in ancient Roman kitchens. Unlike freshly acid-coagulated cheese, aged cheese coagulated with rennet can be stored much longer.

The increased production of coagulated cheese with rennet results in a large supply of sweet whey as a by-product. Then cheese producers start using a new recipe that uses a mixture of whey and milk to make traditional ricotta, as is known today. Ancient Romans make ricotta, but authors of books in agriculture such as Cato Stari, Mark Terence Varon and Columella do not mention it. They describe the production of coagulated cheese but do not write about milk boilers or acid-coaguled cheese. The possible reason is that ricotta was not profitable because its very short shelf life did not allow it to spread to urban markets. The Ricota was probably consumed by the shepherds who made it. However, evidence from paintings and literature shows that ricotta was known and probably eaten by Roman aristocrats.

Ceramic milk boilers were still used by the Apeninian shepherds to prepare ricotta in the 19th century. Today metal boilers are used for milk, but production methods have changed a little since ancient times.

Production process

The ricotta, although it is a dairy product