Ricotta di Buffalo Il Parco

Ricotta di Buffalo Il Parco

Buffalo ricotta is a dairy product - and not a cheese - which is obtained from the whey of buffalo milk, the liquid part that separates from the curd when making buffalo cheese. It is pearly white and firm with a moist consistency. It has a delicate, characteristic aroma. The taste is sweet and the consistency is soft, melting.

It is obtained according to the traditional system, from the boiling of the whey that remains from the processing of buffalo milk into mozzarella. Soft and fine, it happily combines with the different interpretations of the culinary art. With its sweet and delicate flavor, fine and soft, it is excellent eaten naturally, as a starter, as the main course and also for the various uses in the kitchen, from first courses to dessert.

Nutritional characteristics

Ricotta di Buffalo is a very important dairy product for its high nutritional value. The whey is rich in proteins and has a lot of fats and calories enough to be recommended also in many low-calorie diets.

Moreover, a lower amount of cholesterol in buffalo milk compared to other Ricotta di Bufala has been highlighted, due to the lower cholesterol content of buffalo milk.

Production

The buffalo ricotta is a dairy product obtained from the whey extracted from the processing of mozzarella milk, it has a white color tending to become yellowish with a grainy and creamy structure with a sweet and pleasant taste.

The serum added with about 5% of salt is gradually heated, by direct introduction of steam, up to 75-80 ° C. Then 2-4% of acid whey derived from the processing of the previous day is added. Usually, when the whey in the boiler reaches 70 ° C, about 2% of fresh buffalo milk is added with the main purpose of obtaining a higher yield. Heating is prolonged up to 90 ° C; then the foam formed is removed and the flakes of coagulating material emerging are collected with a spannarola. The ricotta is then distributed in wicker or more frequently plastic bundles (diameter 8-10 cm, height 25 cm) and left to purge on shelves at room temperature for 2-3- hours (especially in the summer months) and then placed in the refrigerator at 4-8 ° C.

In all the production areas of Ricotta di Buffalo, i.e. the provinces of Benevento, Salerno, Caserta, Naples and others, the whey of the mozzarella is also made into ricotta cheese, which can be eaten fresh or dried. Fresh buffalo ricotta has a milky color and soft consistency and is obtained by heating the whey resulting from the processing of raw milk for the production of buffalo mozzarella to a temperature of about 90 degrees. To the whey is then added salt just enough to obtain the right flavor of the product. To obtain, instead, the dried buffalo ricotta cheese, which has a compact paste, the cheeses must mature in the cell for about 10 days and then be left to dry for at least a month. They are then removed from the containers and left to mature for another 30 days until they are cleaned of mold, stripped of the thin rind and placed in a vacuum.

The orographic characteristics, geopedological and macroclimatic of the delimited area are the factors that more than any other contribute to conferring the forage essences that characterize it, and consequently, to the milk and therefore to the whey with which the Ricotta di Buffalo is obtained, those organoleptic, taste and flavor characteristics that make Ricotta itself unique and recognizable. 

The link with the geographical origin depends on the producers' ability to obtain whey which maintains, within the limits of the inevitable diversity, the original characteristics of the milk. The choice to use only sweet, therefore non-fermented whey, deriving from the breaking of the fresh buffalo milk clot, is the condition for being able to transfer the characteristics of the milk to Ricotta, in turn inextricably linked to the territory of origin. 

The production area of ​​Ricotta di Buffalo includes part of the administrative territory of the Campania, Lazio, Puglia, and Molise Regions. In Campania, mainly in the basin around the Garigliano and Volturno rivers and between the plain of the Sele river and the Cilento area, both in the coastal area and along the valleys; in Lazio, concentrated between the valley of the Amaseno river and the nearby Pontina plain; in Puglia, the flat and hilly belt of the province of Foggia at the foot of the Gargano promontory; in Molise, the only municipality concerned is Venafro which has only recently been under the administrative management of Molise.

How to store and taste it to the best

The Ricotta di Bufala " Il Parco" must be stored in the refrigerator, at temperatures of +4°C. The ricotta is excellent enjoyed in purity also as a dessert. However, being very versatile, it is used in many preparations such as fillings for ravioli, tortellini, panzerotti, savory pies, to dress pasta and in confectionery for the preparation of creams, cakes. Ricotta is also delicious inside savory pies, quiches or puff pastry dumplings, or as a final touch on pizzas and focaccia. Finally, buffalo ricotta is also able to give a unique flavor to sweet preparations such as stuffed pancakes, cheesecake, strudel, tarts or biscuits.

This Ricotta di Buffalo is obtained in the conventional system of boiling the whey left over from the processing of the buffalo mozzarella. The outcome is this soft, creamy cheese with a delicate and sweet flavor that combines perfectly with the culinary art and various uses in the kitchen, from first courses to desserts.

Suggestion: Use it on crostini, salty cakes, with pasta, as filling for crepes, dessert or pure with some honey. Use your fantasy and creativity to explore new receipts.

3.5 pound (1.6 kilogram) - WEIGHT APPROXIMATES

Ingredients:

Packaging: Plastic Tray and Wrap

Flavor: Lovely, fresh, delicate
Texture: Soft, creamy
Color: White
Aroma: Fresh, milky
Region: Puglia

Product of Italy