Caciocavallo vs Ragusano
Caciocavallo
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
Caciocavallo is an Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow's milk. The usual shape is a pear or a small gourd, with a narrow neck where a cord is tied. Makers hang the cheeses in pairs over a beam, and that pose explains the name. A thin natural rind covers a firm pale paste that slices cleanly. Young cheese is mild and supple, and older cheese turns drier, saltier, and fit for grating.
Ragusano
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Sicily
- Status
- PDO
Ragusano is a firm cow's milk cheese from Sicily, in Italy, and the name is protected. It is a pasta filata cheese, so the curd is stretched in hot water and shaped while it is still elastic. The usual form is a large rectangular block with a thin smooth rind, not a round ball. A younger block is milder and more supple, and an older one turns savory and suits the grater. Both stages are the same cheese, and the age tells you how to use it.