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Fermentation Atlas

Cheese from Italy, Puglia

Ricotta forte (scanta)ricotta forte

Whey left from cheesemaking is heated to 75–80 °C, and the ricotta that floats up is drained for 3–4 days until it starts to turn rancid. It is then salted, packed into glazed clay tubs and stirred every other day for 2–6 months. Lactobacilli and fat breakdown turn it into a creamy, very sharp spread. Made in 5 steps over 2.1 months – 6.1 months. The longest step, ferment, stirring every other day, takes 2–6 months (Regione Puglia). Lactobacilli, 33 strains of 10 species including Lactobacillus kefiri, L. paracasei, L. plantarum and L. paraplantarum does most of the fermenting.

Key numbers
Main step2–6 monthsSet[puglia-pat-rf]Ferment, stirring every other day
Temperature75–80 °CSet[puglia-pat-rf]Heat the whey
Fully documentedCheese2.1 months – 6.1 monthsTraditional food product (PAT, Puglia)Family: Whey cheese (heat-precipitated whey protein) familyMore whey cheesesMore from Italy

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe regional sheet gives the salt rate (20 g per kg of ricotta) and up to 10–12 % added milk; the whey volume is whatever the day's cheesemaking leaves.
Whey from cheesemaking · Ewe, goat, cow or mixed whey, filtered through a fine sieve[puglia-pat-rf]
10–12 %Milk · Optional[puglia-pat-rf]
20 g per kg of ricottaSalt[puglia-pat-rf]
Starterspontaneous

Total time across the recorded steps: 2.1 months – 6.1 months

Start
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75–80 °C

What changes: Hot whey throws up flakes of curd that float to the top

Step 1 of 5
Heat the whey
Time
5–10 min
Set
Temperature
75–80 °C
Set
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented
Which microbes the steps name, step by step
Lactobacilli ferment

Output: ricotta flakes floating on the whey.

Flavour
Not documented
Texture
Not documented
Colour
Not documented

Microbes at work in this step

Not documented for this step.

Method

Measured measured in a studySet fixed by a specification or tested recipeReported one source reports itTypical a general value, not sourced for this fermentUnconfirmed not yet checked against a source

What makes this one different

Fresh ricotta is eaten within days. Ricotta forte is left to drain and go rancid, then stirred in clay tubs for months, so lactobacilli and fat breakdown make a sharp spread. In 14 market samples, fat breakdown was the main change and protein breakdown stayed moderate.

Milk
Whey from ewe, goat, cow or mixed cheesemaking, with up to 10–12 % milk
Ripening
2–6 months in clay or plastic tubs
Composition
Moisture 62–66 %; fat 57–60 % of dry matter in 14 market samples

Related ferments

Safety

The regional sheet relies on careful cleaning of the wooden and clay tools and on rejecting any batch with an odd colour, smell or taste. Stirring every other day keeps mould from growing.

History and sources

Every number is labelled with how it is known. How this atlas is made

Puglia lists it as a traditional product made the same way for at least 25 years; it is made all year but mostly from October to May. The dialect name scanta refers to its sharpness.

  1. [puglia-pat-rf] Regione Puglia, Scheda identificativa per l'Elenco dei Prodotti Tradizionali, Ricotta "forte" (ricotta 'scanta), schede A and Bgov
  2. [baruzzi2000] Baruzzi F., Morea M., Matarante A., Cocconcelli P.S. 2000, Changes in the Lactobacillus community during Ricotta forte cheese natural fermentation, Journal of Applied Microbiology 89(5):807–814 (abstract)paper
  3. [faccia2018] Faccia M., Trani A., Natrella G., Gambacorta G. 2018, Chemical-sensory and volatile compound characterization of ricotta forte, a traditional fermented whey cheese, Journal of Dairy Science 101(7):5751–5757 (abstract)paper