Ricotta di Bufala Campana (buffalo ricotta)

History and origin

Buffalo ricotta has an ancient history closely bound to that of mozzarella: it is made from the whey left over from mozzarella making, so it was born together with buffalo farming in central and southern Italy. Qualigeo dates these origins to the fourteenth century.

One of the first mentions of ricotta appears in the cookery book published in 1570 by Bartolomeo Scappi, cook to the papal court. More detailed information is found in Achille Bruni's 1859 monograph Del latte e dei suoi derivati. Meanwhile, from the seventeenth century, the bufalare, masonry buildings where the milk was worked, produced provole, mozzarellas and ricotta.

Today Ricotta di Bufala Campana is a PDO entered in the European register, protected by the same consortium as the mozzarella, and it is enjoying renewed attention.

Sources: Qualigeo — Ricotta di Bufala Campana DOP · Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP · eAmbrosia — Ricotta di Bufala Campana (PDO-IT-0559)

Area and method of production

The production area covers parts of the provinces of Benevento, Caserta, Naples and Salerno in Campania, of Frosinone, Latina and Rome in Lazio, of Foggia in Apulia and of Isernia in Molise: the same areas as PDO mozzarella. The starting point is the «first whey», the sweet whey left from processing Italian Mediterranean buffalo milk into mozzarella.

The whey is heated in a vat, and buffalo milk or fresh cream may be added before or during heating. The heat forms a soft, fine curd which, thanks to the fat, rises to the surface. It is gathered by hand with a slotted ladle and placed in baskets or cloths, or with mechanical extractors, and takes on its final texture once separated from the scotta, the residual whey.

The ricotta must contain at least 4% fat and be packed within 24 hours of production. The fresh version keeps for no more than seven days; with a heat treatment before packing it can last up to thirty.

Sources: Qualigeo — Ricotta di Bufala Campana DOP · Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Ricotta di bufala campana DOP

How to recognise it

Ricotta di Bufala Campana is shaped like a truncated pyramid or a cone and weighs from 2 to 40 kilos, depending on its use. The paste is porcelain white, without a rind; the texture is grainy but not sandy, soft and creamy.

The flavour is fresh and gently sweet, and the aroma recalls milk and cream. These qualities come from the area's buffalo milk, very rich in fat and free of lipase, an enzyme that can alter the characteristics of the fat.

Besides the fresh version, the Campania Region mentions dried buffalo ricotta, with a compact texture, which after a first maturing in a cold room is left to dry for at least a month and then aged further.

Sources: Qualigeo — Ricotta di Bufala Campana DOP · Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Ricotta di bufala campana DOP

In the kitchen

Buffalo ricotta can be enjoyed on its own, but above all it is an ingredient in many typical Neapolitan recipes. The most famous is pastiera, the Easter cake made with buffalo ricotta and wheat, ingredients that in tradition symbolise the well-being and prosperity of the family.

For retail sale it comes in packs of up to 2 kilos, while the larger pieces, up to 40 kilos, are meant for kitchens and bakeries that use it as an ingredient. It should be kept at 4-5 degrees and eaten within the stated time, no more than seven days for the fresh version.

Sources: Qualigeo — Ricotta di Bufala Campana DOP

Where to taste it

Buffalo ricotta is made wherever Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is produced, because it comes from its whey. The heart of production is in Campania, on the plains of the Volturno, near Caserta, and the Sele, near Salerno, where the old round bufalare with their central fireplace still survive.

A trip between Caserta and the Sele plain, on the edge of the Cilento, is a chance to taste it very fresh, just made, in the area's dairies, together with mozzarella. It is on sale all year round, and at Easter it becomes the heart of the pastiera.

Sources: Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Ricotta di bufala campana DOP · Regione Campania, Assessorato Agricoltura — Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP

Protection

• Protected designation of origin (PDO) — PDO-IT-0559 (eAmbrosia — Ricotta di Bufala Campana (PDO-IT-0559))

When

• The sources consulted give no months.

Where

Campania, Molise, Puglia