ricotta

ricotta, whey cheese with a creamy texture and mild taste. Italian in origin and yellowish white in colour, ricotta is traditionally made with whey from fresh sheep’s milk, although the whey can also come from the milk of goats, Italian water buffaloes, or cows.

Production and characteristics

In Italian, the word ricotta means “recooked,” which refers to the repeated processing necessary to create the cheese. To prepare most varieties of cheese, milk is heated to pasteurize it and then an acid is added to congeal the mixture into two components: curds, the solid coagulates that form the base of many cheeses, and whey, the leftover liquid that primarily consists of lactose and water. After heating the milk, the steps for cooking curd-based and whey-based cheeses diverge. To produce ricotta, cheese makers remove the initial curds, boil the whey for a second time, and pour the mixture through a cheesecloth (a lightweight cotton gauze fabric) to extract the residual, smaller curds that congeal. These soft clumps form ricotta cheese.

Despite some similarities, ricotta is distinct from other varieties of soft cheese, though they are often conflated. Ricotta differs from cottage cheese in its composition: cottage cheese is made from curds instead of whey and harbours more salt and a much lower fat content than ricotta does. Other soft cheeses often compared to ricotta, such as cream cheese and mascarpone, contain levels of fat that are far higher than that of ricotta. Although ricotta is not the only variety of whey cheese, it ranks among the most popular.

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Due to its high moisture content, fresh ricotta is quicker to spoil than drier cheeses. Other factors shortening ricotta’s shelf life include its pH level (which can range from 6.1 to 6.8) and its high sugar concentration, which enables microbes to contaminate the cheese. In 2012 an outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in a shipment of Italian ricotta cheese in the U.S. prompted the company that distributed the ricotta to issue a product recall.

Although ricotta is typically eaten fresh, a variety of the cheese, known as ricotta salata, undergoes an aging process before it is consumed. Ricotta salata derives from Sardinia, Italy, and the term salata signifies the addition of salt, the agent responsible for preserving the cheese over time. The aging interval, which can range from five to eight weeks, extracts moisture from the cheese, leaving it with a firm and chalky texture that makes it easier to grate, slice, and crumble. In refrigerated storage, ricotta salata has a shelf life of approximately 90 days.

History and uses

Although the origins of ricotta are somewhat unclear, its modern form likely traces to the 9th-century Arab-Sicilian era in Sicily, though similar whey cheeses may have existed centuries earlier. Cheese makers initially created ricotta from the whey left over from curdling sheep’s milk to produce mozzarella and provolone cheese, although later variations of ricotta have involved different milk varieties that alter the flavour of the cheese. Ricotta gained popularity throughout Italy and, over the centuries, in other countries as well. In 2021 cheese makers in the U.S. manufactured 247.4 million pounds (112.2 million kg) of ricotta cheese. Because ricotta is made of whey, as opposed to cheeses made of curds, Italian legislation classifies it as an edible by-product of other cheeses rather than a cheese in its own right.

Ricotta is featured in many Italian dishes. It often serves as an ingredient in desserts, such as cannoli and ricotta cake; a dip for fresh fruit; and as a filling for lasagna and ravioli, as well as a component of many other pasta dishes. Along with its mild, slightly sweet taste, ricotta also presents several nutritional health benefits. Rich in protein and calcium, eating ricotta cheese on a consistent basis can improve bone health and help avert fractures and conditions such as osteoporosis. In addition, ricotta contains high levels of vitamin B₁₂, a compound that plays a role in red blood cell generation, bone mineral density, and energy maintenance. In common with other dairy products, ricotta may decrease the risk of developing certain varieties of cancer if consumed consistently.

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In 2023 a number of regions experienced a ricotta shortage. A handful of factors threaten to limit ricotta cheese production, such as the impact of climate change on animal agriculture, global supply chain delays, and labour shortages in the dairy industry.