Caciocavallo cheese: origin story, homemade recipe

2024 Author: Isabella Gilson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:14

In the history of culinary culture of the peoples of different countries, it is full of original and even funny names. That's the name of the Italian cheese "Caciocavallo", can be literally translated as "riding a horse"! Caciocavallo is a typical Southerner from the Pasta Filata cohort. Produce it in the form of the original bag. Although Caciocavallo cheese plays one of the important roles in Italian culinary traditions, in its recipe it is associated with a completely different country. What made this beautiful "cheese rider" famous? Let's find out its legends and cooking recipe!

Caciocavallo cheese. History

It originates in Ancient Greece. It is from here that the ancient Romans borrowed the recipe. The world famous Hippocrates wrote about the production of this fermented milk product. He mentioned this cheese in one of his writings on food and the art of it.cooking. Later, and Pliny the Elder, in a treatise on cheese, emphasized its unique characteristics, calling it "butirro" (the ancestor of the present cheese "Caciocavallo"). He gave him the definition - "delicate food." Since that time, the authentic product has managed to maintain its nutritional properties thanks to the original production technologies. It is due to this that the product has received the widest distribution in southern Italy.

Versions of the origin of the name itself

According to one version, it is believed that the cheese is named this way because of the unusual method used in ripening. Caciocavallo is tied with a rope in two units, hanging to dry on the crossbar. The second says that the name was born in the Kingdom of Naples, when logos in the form of horses were embossed on the surfaces of the heads. According to the 3rd hypothesis, the cheese got its name from nomadic, along with herds, shepherds. They processed dairy products right on the pasture. Going on the road, they hung Caciocavallo on ropes thrown over the backs of horses, in special rag bags. In the Balkans, a fermented milk product called Kashcaval is still used in everyday life. And in 1996, Caciocavallo Silano was classified as a food protected by origin.

How Cachocavallo cheese is made

Cheese is traditionally produced in several Italian regions and in Sicily. It is made from cow and sheep milk. By the way, Caciocavallo Silano is made exclusively from cowhide.

Himselfthe process begins with coagulation. Milk, by heating, is brought to a temperature of no more than 38 degrees Celsius. The enzyme of calf abomasum isolated from the stomach is also added here. Some factories also add whey left over from the previous day. After some time, after adjusting the temperature, a curd should form. Cheesemakers break it into small pieces. Next comes the stage at which the clot matures. It continues until 10 o'clock. All this time, the master cheese maker takes samples and immerses them in very hot, but not boiling water. If the lump resembles rubber in its consistency, it stretches without any break - this indicates that the process is coming to an end.

Final ripening

After, the individual parts of the “dough” from the curd mass are immersed in hot water, manually forming smooth balls without voids inside. Then they are given the appearance of "bags". The finished heads, the future Caciocavallo cheese, are washed in water, and when they have cooled down, they are immersed in a saline solution for about 6 hours. When the product is s alted, it is tied up in 2 pieces and outweighed over the crossbar for final maturation. It can last at least a month, or even more. Mature one-year-old cheese is in special demand. There is also a smoked variety - this is Caciocavallo affumicato. Usually it is kept for more than two months. For smoking using wood and dried straw.

Key Features

The most characteristic feature of a cheese recipe"Caciocavallo" is the shape of the end product, which has the appearance of pouches: a large oval body at the bottom, a small, round part at the top. The components are separated from each other by a rope made of natural materials. Sometimes the presence of the upper component is not a prerequisite. Some manufacturers produce without it. The weight of the heads can vary from 0.5 to 2.5 kg. The rind of the cheese is quite thin, smooth, straw-yellow. The color range intensifies as the Caciocavallo matures. And the smoked variety is already golden in color with a brown tint. Some types of cheese are coated with thin layers of paraffin, which makes the rind unfit for human consumption. Inside, the Cachocavallo cheese mass is white and elastic, and the taste is the most delicate, sweetish. Moreover, the inside of a mature product acquires a shade of straw and typical holes appear in it, and the taste changes to spicy, with peppercorns. The aroma of smoked cheese is quite bright, with hints of smoke.

What do they eat it with?

Caciocavallo brand cheese is optimally suited both for individual use and as a component for other, more complex dishes. In Italy, southerners often eat it with rustic bread, made from hard grains. The inhabitants of Puglia, for example, prefer Almatura bread, which also belongs to the authentic DOP category.

Reviews

This product perfectly enriches the taste of many culinary recipes. And judging byreviews, Cachocavallo cheese is to the liking of both guests and local residents. Grated, it is used in the preparation of classics: pasta and pizza, baked vegetables, such as eggplant or zucchini.

Aged, it has a sharp taste. According to many gourmets, the product is optimally combined with salami. A smoked version of the cheese is often used to add smoky flavors to first hot dishes.

Young cheese, goes well together:

• with fruits like pear or melon;
• with balsamic vinegar and red onion;
• with berries such as cherries or sweet cherries;
• with nuts;
• with dried fruits.

For those who adore taste contrast, we advise you to try a young product with chestnut honey, which has a slight bitterness. You need to choose wine under Caciocavallo, according to the age of the cheeses. For young and sweetish - dry white (with a bitter aftertaste), and aged, requires red wine of normal maturity. Choose a brand according to your personal preferences. Also good with this product is sherry, which, with its richest flavor range, perfectly harmonizes with Caciocavallo.

Cooking at home

Caciocavallo cheese at home, of course, you can cook. Especially if you are not new to cheese making. Take cow's milk of medium fat content (without any additives, not reconstituted, but best of all - market). You will also need abomasum (in powder form) or whey from the last portion of cooking. Next, you need to carry out the coagulation process at a temperaturenot higher than +38 degrees Celsius. We manually form clots from the curd mass, which should be formed as a result of the coagulation process. Next, let the cheese ripen, you can leave it overnight. We form in hot water peculiar small bags from a semi-finished product, weighing about 0.5 kg. Formed heads should be put in a saline solution for six hours. Then, tie them up with a natural, not too thick rope and hang on it. In this state, the cheese ripens for about a month, after which it can be tasted.

What can replace

If you come across such an ingredient as Caciocavallo in the recipe, but it is not at hand - do not be upset! What can I substitute for Cachocavallo cheese? You can successfully use any cheese from the Pasta Filata group, for example, Provolone or the same Mozzarella, which is sold in every supermarket today. Pasta Filata cheeses become stringy when heated and are capable of forming threads. You can use suluguni as a substitute.

Calorie content and beneficial properties

This product is high-calorie and very nutritious, so it is clearly not suitable for those who decide to save their figure. 100 grams contains 439 kilocalories. The product has a large amount of protein and fat, and only 92 milligrams of cholesterol. Due to the high calorie content, it is recommended to limit the daily intake of Cachocavallo to 50-100 grams, no more. If you eat 50 g of cheese, the body will be provided with 50% of the daily protein requirement. This dairy product is an excellent source of calcium.and vitamin A. It is very useful for the immune system and the restoration of the reproductive organs. But, do not get carried away with the product for hypertensive patients and people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, as it contains a lot of sodium. Otherwise, there are no restrictions on eating.

Pricing policy

You can enjoy authentic authentic cheeses only in Italy. However, you can find Cachocavallo in almost every cheese department. The price of the product fluctuates within 20 Euros. Pricing depends on the age of the cheese. For example, the cost of an aged product can reach 40 Euros. Domestic factories also prepare this cheese using Italian technology. The cost of a product produced in Russia will be significantly lower than in European countries. But, and the taste will be less specific than that of the Italian counterpart. In general, as the Italian shepherds used to say in the old days: “Gift horses are first hung on the backs of Cachocavallo, and then their teeth are checked!”

You can taste the unique taste of real Cachocavallo cheese only in Italy, where the soul, culture and traditions of these places are invested in the preparation of this product.