Caciotta vs Toma
Caciotta
Facts
- Texture
- Semi-soft
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Central and Southern Italy
Caciotta is a small cheese from central and southern Italy, and the name points to size more than to one fixed recipe. The word is a diminutive and means a little cheese. Wheels are modest rounds with a thin rind and a paste that is usually semi-soft. Dairies in those regions make it for the daily table, not as one famous mountain trophy. Milk and flavor change with the maker, so two wheels that share the name can still taste different.
Toma
Facts
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Pressed
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
Toma is a family of Italian pressed cheeses, not one wheel with a single fixed recipe. The name covers rustic rounds with a natural rind, a pale interior, and a mild to nutty flavor that depends on age and the maker. Most are firm enough to slice, and some grow harder and more savory as they mature. Italy is the home of the style, and dairies use the word for this kind of cheese. It is a table cheese and a cooking cheese, not a fresh spread.