Canestrato di Moliterno

History and origin

In Moliterno sheep farming and the habit of turning milk into cheese go back a very long way: archaeological finds from the fourth century BC bear witness to it. Even the town's name may come from the Latin mulgere, to milk, a reminder of how deeply herding has shaped this part of the Val d'Agri.

The cheese's name, on the other hand, comes from the containers in which it takes shape. As the Appennino Lucano Park authority explains, the curd is pressed by hand into baskets, locally called fuscelle, until it is compact: hence the word canestrato, from canestro, basket, and the ridges left on the rind.

Part of the story is also written in the flocks. The Gentile di Lucania sheep, the most common breed in the region and one of those whose milk goes into canestrato, comes from crosses between local ewes and Spanish Merino rams that began in the fifteenth century. Today Canestrato di Moliterno is a Protected Geographical Indication entered in the European register.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Canestrato di Moliterno IGP · Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese — Produzioni locali: Canestrato di Moliterno · eAmbrosia — Canestrato di Moliterno (PGI-IT-0487)

Area and method of production

The milk comes from a wide area: 69 municipalities, 54 in the province of Potenza and 15 in the province of Matera. It is 70-90% whole sheep's milk and the rest goat's milk, from breeds such as Gentile di Puglia and Gentile di Lucania, Leccese, Sarda, Comisana and Garganica, Maltese, Jonica and Camosciata. The flocks feed mainly at pasture, on fresh forage and hay, and the milk must be processed within 48 hours of the first milking, raw or thermised.

It is curdled with lamb or kid rennet at 36-40 degrees; the curd is broken into grains the size of rice, placed in the baskets, salted dry or in brine and dried for 30 to 40 days.

Ageing, however, may only take place in Moliterno, in the fondaci: cool, dry, well-aired rooms above 700 metres, with walls at least 40 centimetres thick, at least two sides underground and two openings to let air circulate. It is Moliterno's climate, the park authority notes, that steers the maturing.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Canestrato di Moliterno IGP · Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese — Produzioni locali: Canestrato di Moliterno

How to recognise it

The shape is cylindrical, about 20 centimetres across, 10 to 15 high and weighing between 2 and 5.5 kilos. The rind carries the marks of the baskets. The paste is compact, with irregular holes, white or straw-coloured depending on age.

The specification sets three types by ageing, which lasts at least 60 days in any case: Primitivo up to six months, Stagionato up to a year, Extra beyond a year. When young the flavour is sweet; over time it becomes sharp, strong and aromatic.

It is sold whole or in packed wedges, labelled with the designation and the type.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Canestrato di Moliterno IGP · Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese — Produzioni locali: Canestrato di Moliterno

In the kitchen

Each type has its place at the table. Primitivo is excellent on its own as a table cheese, but also suits simple modern dishes, such as a salad with apples from the upper Val d'Agri.

Stagionato is grated over traditional Lucanian recipes such as cavuzuni or maccaruni o' firricieddu. Extra is at its best with Lucanian honey or a glass of red wine, for example a Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri PDO, made from vineyards in Viggiano, Grumento Nova and Moliterno.

It keeps in a cool, dry place; once cut it should go in the fridge and be eaten soon.

Sources: Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Canestrato di Moliterno IGP · Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese — Produzioni locali: Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri DOC

Where to taste it

Canestrato's home is Moliterno, in the province of Potenza, within the Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese National Park: every cheese of the designation is aged here, in the town's fondaci.

The regional tourism agency of Basilicata points to the Sagra del Canestrato in Moliterno, devoted to the sharp, aromatic sheep and goat cheese. The same pages note that the town's cheeses also include casieddu.

Moliterno shares with Viggiano and Grumento Nova the vineyards of the Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri DOC: a trip through the Val d'Agri can combine the villages, the park's woods and a taste of canestrato with the local wine.

Sources: APT Basilicata — Le collezioni 2018, Basilicata enogastronomica · Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese — Produzioni locali: Canestrato di Moliterno · Parco Nazionale dell'Appennino Lucano Val d'Agri-Lagonegrese — Produzioni locali: Terre dell'Alta Val d'Agri DOC

Protection

• Protected geographical indication (PGI) — PGI-IT-0487 (eAmbrosia — Canestrato di Moliterno (PGI-IT-0487))

When

• Production: all year round (Qualigeo (Fondazione Qualivita) — Canestrato di Moliterno IGP)

Where

Basilicata

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