A typical product of Southern Italy, Caciocavallo is a well-known stretched curd cheese, both in Italy and abroad, both for its full-bodied taste (sweet or spicy depending on the rennet used) and for the characteristic oval-rounded shape that recalls that of a bag or flask.
Caciocavallo is a distinguished Italian cheese that originally means “horse cheese”, due to the fact that during the maturation process two Caciocavallo kinds of cheese are bound together with a rope in a horizontal way on a wood surface, called in Italian “ a cavallo”, then “horse”. It is an ancient traditional cheese, the first time mentioned in history was 500 BC by Hippocrates, being one of the oldest cheeses in the word when it comes to its production as well as its recognition. There are other kinds of Caciocavallo cheese based upon their origins as well as the type of milk. The most famous is made with cow’s milk from the southern areas of Italy (Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, and Molise), with geographical protection status from 1993.
What does Caciocavallo taste like?
Caciocavallo is a soft cheese with high consistency, as well as stringy and elastic texture.
It tastes slightly salty, semi-strong flavour, spicy and a bit tangy, which make it perfect for cheese lovers looking for different flavours, as well as for those who doesn’t like too sharp cheeses. Even you can eat its rind as it is completely natural, adding an extra texture.
As much maturation process (ageing), caciocavallo gets sharper and spicier (from the second month on ahead). To identify ageing period, colours changes from white milky colour to dark yellow.
What is caciocavallo cheese good for?
Caciocavallo is suitable for those who keep a healthy diet, due to the fact that is rich in minerals and vitamins, as well as calcium. Additionally, it contains healthy fats and is high in proteins (50%), necessary for a healthy lifestyle. As any other cheese, is healthy, however, it’s not recommended to have it in excess, but it’s perfect to enjoy it about three times per week combined with a healthy diet and lifestyle.
How do you eat caciocavallo cheese?
There are different ways to eat this remarkable cheese. It’s versatile as it can be combined with a wide range of dishes: salads (added fresh cut in pieces), pasta ( for serving as grated cheese on the top), antipasti option (sharing with other italian sausages, olives and a good red wine), risotto ( to be added at the end of the cooking) We are going to share one of the most famous recipe to eat Caciovallalo that fits any style to impress your guest with an authentic ancient cheese!
We are going to share one of the most famous recipes to eat Caciovallo that fits any style to impress your guest with an authentic ancient cheese!
Penne with basil and Caciocavallo recipe
Ingredients
- Fresh basil
- 2 garlic cloves (peeled and crushed)
- One glass of penne (per person)
- 1 piece of caciocavallo cheese (per person)
To begin with, mix garlic with basil in olive oil and leave it standing from 30 minutes to one hour.
In the meantime, cook your pasta with a bit of salt and olive oil until it gets al dente.
Leave a bit of water from the pasta, add the cheese grated with pepper and the previous mixed
(garlic, basil, and olive oil).
Cook everything until all ingredients are fully integrated shaping a homogeneous texture.
You can add some more fresh basil on the top, as well as serve it with some truffle oil, which
highlights all aromas.
Are you now a caciocavallo lover? Get some now and buon appetito!