Caciocavallo Silano

History and origin

Caciocavallo Silano is one of the oldest stretched-curd cheeses of southern Italy. The first records of cheese-making in the area go back to 500 BC, and in later centuries Latin writers, including Pliny the Elder in the first century AD, praised butirro, considered one of its ancestors. The word silano refers to the Sila plateau, to which the cheese has been tied since its origins.

The most accepted explanation of the name is a simple one: the cheeses were tied in pairs and hung astride wooden poles near the hearth, a habit that still survives in today's ageing. The protection consortium adds that stretched curd was born from the need to work the milk quickly, before the heat turned it sour.

Recognition came first in Italy, with a 1993 decree amended in 2003, and then in Europe, where Caciocavallo Silano has been a PDO since 1996.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Caciocavallo Silano DOP · Consorzio di Tutela Formaggio Caciocavallo Silano DOP — Il Caciocavallo · eAmbrosia — Caciocavallo Silano (PDO-IT-0003)

Area and method of production

The production area is wide and joins inland districts of five regions: the provinces of Crotone, Vibo Valentia, Catanzaro and Cosenza in Calabria; Avellino, Benevento, Caserta, Salerno and Naples in Campania; Isernia and Campobasso in Molise; Bari, Taranto, Foggia and Brindisi in Apulia; Matera and Potenza in Basilicata. The milk is whole cow's milk from cattle raised in the area, raw or thermised; the only ingredients are milk, salt and animal rennet. About ten litres of milk go into one kilo of cheese.

The milk is curdled at 36-38 degrees with calf or kid rennet. The curd is broken into lumps the size of a hazelnut and left to mature for 4-10 hours, until it is ready to be stretched: it is then pulled into a kind of rope and shaped with vigorous hand movements. The top is sealed by dipping it briefly in water at 80-85 degrees.

After cooling in water, the cheeses stay in brine for at least six hours; they are then tied in pairs and hung on poles for at least 30 days of ageing.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Caciocavallo Silano DOP · Consorzio di Tutela Formaggio Caciocavallo Silano DOP — Il Caciocavallo

How to recognise it

Caciocavallo Silano is oval or truncated-cone shaped, with or without a small head, and carries the grooves left by the ties. The consortium explains that in Calabria tradition calls for the truncated cone without a head, while the other regions use the oval shape with a head. The rind is thin, smooth and straw yellow; the paste is even and compact, with very slight holes, white or straw coloured.

The flavour is aromatic and melting: delicate and sweetish when young, it turns sharp with ageing. Besides the basic type there are the Extra, matured for at least four months, and the Gran Riserva, matured for at least nine.

The genuine cheese is recognised by the logo heat-stamped on the rind, together with the producer's number and an alphanumeric label numbered by the consortium. It is sold whole, in wedges, in portions or pre-packed.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Caciocavallo Silano DOP · Consorzio di Tutela Formaggio Caciocavallo Silano DOP — Il Caciocavallo

In the kitchen

Caciocavallo Silano keeps in a cool, dry place in its wrapping; in the fridge it belongs in the least cold compartment. It is an excellent, nourishing table cheese, and the consortium points out that it works both raw and cooked, because stretched curd gives it a soft texture.

In traditional southern cooking it goes into many dishes, above all with red meat and mushrooms, and it is excellent cooked on the griddle. The consortium also describes its seasonal character: a 30-day cheese in spring is sweet and delicate, a 12-month cheese in winter is sharper and more mature.

For the glass, the product sheet suggests young red wines.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Caciocavallo Silano DOP · Consorzio di Tutela Formaggio Caciocavallo Silano DOP — Il Caciocavallo

Where to taste it

The historic heart of Caciocavallo Silano is the Sila, the great plateau protected by the national park across the provinces of Cosenza, Catanzaro and Crotone, with thick forests, lakes and old trails. The protection consortium is based in Camigliatello Silano, and that is where it holds «Musica e Formaggi», a day along the village's main street, under the patronage of the municipality of Spezzano della Sila.

At the event caciocavallo can be tasted at every stage of ageing, from 30 to 180 days, with guided tastings led by expert tasters and producers talking about the bond between the cheese and its land. For visitors to our Sila destination, Camigliatello is therefore a good place to start.

Since the PDO covers inland areas of five regions, it can also be found in the Apennine villages of Basilicata, Campania, Molise and Apulia: just look for the logo stamped on the rind.

Sources: Italia.it — Parco Nazionale della Sila · Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Caciocavallo Silano DOP · Consorzio di Tutela Formaggio Caciocavallo Silano DOP — Musica e Formaggi a Camigliatello

Protection

• Protected designation of origin (PDO) — PDO-IT-0003 (eAmbrosia — Caciocavallo Silano (PDO-IT-0003))

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Calabria, Campania, Molise, Puglia, Basilicata

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