John Myers
The mild taste makes ricotta a culinary all-rounder that can be enjoyed both sweet and savory. Find out everything you need to know about fine Mediterranean cream cheese now!
Interesting facts about ricotta
Ricotta originally comes from the area around Rome and differs from classic cream cheese in one important respect. The Italian specialty is not made from milk but from whey. This special production method gives the traditional cream cheese its typically crumbly consistency, which does not melt when heated, but falls apart.
The taste of ricotta, made from cow, buffalo, or sheep whey, varies enormously.
Common in this country: the unsalted ricotta tipo, which is similar to quark. This ricotta is milky and creamy and has a delicately sweet aroma with a fine acidity.
In its country of origin, Italy, there are many other variants of the popular cream cheese. These include the spicy and firm ricotta salata, which is lightly salted. The ricotta salata al forno is also baked and the ricotta affumicata is smoked. So-called canestrata in turn refers to ripened and pressed ricotta, which is enjoyed as grated cheese with pasta and pizza.
Shopping and cooking tips for ricotta
Because this dairy product is preservative-free, ricotta keeps in the fridge for a short time. Store ricotta cheese tightly closed in the coolest part of your fridge and use it up within a few days. Important: Fresh ricotta has no yellow spots.
When cooking, ricotta offers you endless culinary possibilities – as the wide range of different ricotta recipes proves. Ricotta is particularly popular as a pasta filling, for example in ravioli, cannelloni, or ricotta tortellini. Ricotta also tastes delicious in casseroles, omelettes, or pancakes.
Delicious and so easy: ricotta spread. Simply mix the crushed cream cheese with herbs and spices of your choice.
The mild taste of unsalted ricotta also makes the cheese ideal for sweet dishes. Be sure to try succulent ricotta cake or ricotta cream, combine ricotta on fresh bread with jam, or simply enjoy ricotta on its own with a dollop of honey for a light dessert.
By the way: If you don’t have ricotta to hand, use cottage cheese or granulated cream cheese as an alternative to ricotta.
