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Cheese from Italy, Sicilia

Ricotta mista

Ricotta is a boundary entry, set by heat and acid, not by microbes. Sicilian whey of cow, sheep or goat, alone or mixed, gets salt and some milk of the same kinds and is heated to about 85–90 °C, with a soured farm whey (agra) added near 80 °C. The flakes rise for 15–30 minutes, are skimmed into baskets and drain on a sloping table with cold water.

Fully documentedCheese15 min – 30 minPAT (traditional agri-food product, Sicilia; XXIV update, 2024)Family: Whey cheese (heat-precipitated whey protein) family

Recipe

Amounts from a sourceThe sheets give the method and a milk share of about 10% of the whey, not a batch size. A ricotta weighs 1.0–1.5 kg.
Whey from cow, sheep or goat cheesemaking, singly or mixed, filtered and chilled[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Raw whole milk (sheep, goat or cow), optionalgenerally about 10% of the whey volume[onaf-sheet][pat-sheet]
Salta modest amount[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]
Acid farm whey (agra), pH 4–4.5Helps the whey proteins rise[onaf-sheet]
StarterThe regional sheet gives the microflora as natural; a soured farm whey (agra, pH 4–4.5) helps the proteins rise.

Total time across the recorded steps: 15 min – 30 min

Start
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What changes: Salt goes into the filtered cow, sheep or goat whey in the cauldron

Step 1 of 5
Filter and salt the whey
Time
Not documented
Temperature
Not documented
Salt
None given
Acidity
Not documented

The whey is filtered and chilled after cheesemaking; salt goes into the cauldron.

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

At a glance

Ricotta is a boundary entry, set by heat and acid, not by microbes. Sicilian whey of cow, sheep or goat, alone or mixed, gets salt and some milk of the same kinds and is heated to about 85–90 °C, with a soured farm whey (agra) added near 80 °C. The flakes rise for 15–30 minutes, are skimmed into baskets and drain on a sloping table with cold water. Made in 5 steps over 15 min – 30 min. The longest step, add the acid whey and let the flakes rise, takes 15–30 min (ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori F…) and runs at 85–90 °C (Regione Siciliana 2024).

Key numbers
Main step15–30 minReported[onaf-sheet]Add the acid whey and let the flakes rise
Temperature85–90 °CReported[pat-sheet][onaf-sheet]Add the acid whey and let the flakes rise
AciditypH 4–4.5Reported[onaf-sheet]Add the acid whey and let the flakes rise

What makes this one different

The general Sicilian ricotta, made from whichever whey the dairy has, cow, sheep or goat, alone or blended, with about 10% milk added. A soured farm whey (agra) speeds the flaking. It is also the base for ricotta salata.

Size
Truncated cone of 1.0–1.5 kg, shaped by the basket
Rind
None; ivory, straw yellow when sheep or goat whey dominates
Season
Made all year

Related ferments

Variants

  • Ricotta salata: the same ricotta salted and dried on wooden boards for up to 2 months

Safety

The whey is heated to about 85–90 °C before the ricotta is skimmed off. It is not ripened and is kept at 2–6 °C.

History and sources

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

The regional sheet lists a notarial act by the notary Luca Cuccia (25 August, 14th century, index number 1601) in the Palermo state archive, and Carmelo Trasselli's study of Palermo's 1412–1440 food price lists, which gives ricotta as one of the most widely eaten foods. A priest, Gaetano Salamone, wrote down the method for sheep ricotta at the end of the 1800s.

  1. [pat-sheet] Regione Siciliana, Schede PAT Sicilia, XXIV aggiornamento (2024), sheet 'Ricotta Mista' (copy hosted by ONAF)gov
  2. [onaf-sheet] ONAF (Organizzazione Nazionale Assaggiatori Formaggi), technical sheet 'Ricotta mista'web
  3. [onaf] ONAF, cheese page 'Ricotta mista' (id 1240)web