Italy Puglia cooking vacations and wine tours

Caciocavallo cheese 2Comments

Posted on September 01, 2009 by Stile Mediterraneo

This post currently has 2 responses. Leave a comment!

Puglia is not just the land of cow milk mozzarella. Puglia is also a big producer of pecorino (or sheep cheese) and caciocavallo cheese.

Pecorino is for Puglia, what Parmigiano Reggiano is for the Parma region. In Puglia we use pecorino for everything: when aged we grate it on top of pasta or we accompany with pear jams; when fresh (from 1 week to 2 months) we use it in salads or to make fantastic panini – sandwiches or to cook pasta in the oven.

Caciocavallo literally means “Horse Cheese”. However, it has nothing to do with the horse milk. It is called like this because, to age, it is left hanging on a wooden stick…..as if it was riding a horse.

The best Caciocavallo is the Podolico one, made of a very special milk produced by the rare Podolica cow. The Caciocavallo Podolico is of the most important Slow Food presidia.

This cheese was at risk of disappearing. Because the Podolica cow produces very small quantity of milk and only in certain months, it was not very profitable for the small local producers to produce milk from this cow.
The Slow Food presidium promotes the production of of this special milk and cheese, which is very tasty and full of grass flavors. The Podolico caciocavallo cheese is of very high quality!

Tags: caciocavallo cheese, Puglia cheese
Category Cheese & Mozzarella

2 to “Caciocavallo cheese”

1. 

   Cinzia & Marika says:

   September 6, 2009 at 7:08 pm

   Thank Tim for your comment! you must have fantastic cheese in your area as well!
2. 

   T. W. Anderson says:

   September 2, 2009 at 7:00 am

   I think cheese is probably my all-time favorite food on the planet. Thanks for tips on some more lovely choices, and some insight into one of the best regions in the world for food/wine