Ricotta di Bufala Campana

Appearance & taste

Ricotta di Bufala Campana is porcelain white, has no rind and is shaped like a truncated pyramid or cone of at most 2,000 g. The consistency is soft and grainy but not sandy. It contains less than 80 % water, at least 4 % fat and at least 20 % fat in dry matter; according to the specification, this gives it its creaminess and softness. The specification attributes the white colour to the fact that buffalo milk contains no beta-carotene.

The taste is fresh and slightly sweet, and the scent is reminiscent of milk and cream; with a higher fat content both are more pronounced. Acidic notes are absent: the ricotta contains at most 0.4 % lactic acid and at most 0.4 % sodium. It is available as “fresca” (fresh) with a shelf life of at most seven days. After draining it can also be heat-treated, smoothed or homogenised to make it creamier and keep for up to 30 days; there is also a lactose-free variant.

Production

The buffalo cows of the Italian Mediterranean breed are kept in the area and milked by hand or by machine. More than half of their fresh or dried feed comes from the area; typical are sainfoin, various clovers, common vetch and brome.

The raw material is the “first whey” or “sweet whey”, which is separated off immediately after the milk has coagulated for buffalo mozzarella; its acidity must not exceed 5 SH/50 ml. The acid whey from the complete ripening of the curd is excluded. Up to 6 % heated or pasteurised raw buffalo milk and up to 5 % fresh cream from buffalo milk whey, both from the area, as well as salt may be added. On heating, the whey proteins coagulate; the ricotta is skimmed off and drained. Milk, whey, whey cream and ricotta are produced in the area. Packing takes place at the production site: wrapped in paper and in closed containers sealed by heat or vacuum. The logo shows the outline of a buffalo’s head in a three-coloured circular band with the lettering “RICOTTA DI BUFALA CAMPANA”.

Origin & history

The area covers, in Campania, mainly the land around the rivers Garigliano and Volturno and between the Sele plain and the Cilento; in Lazio, the Amaseno valley and the neighbouring Pontine plain; in Apulia, the flat and hilly land of the province of Foggia at the foot of the Gargano; and in Molise, the municipality of Venafro. The plains were originally alluvial land, swamp or marsh, and the hills often have volcanic soils. According to the specification, the buffalo copes particularly well with these conditions and the Mediterranean climate. According to figures from 2008, more than 92 % of the Mediterranean-breed buffalo raised in Italy live here.

From 1282 to 1860 the areas belonged to the Kingdom of Naples, and buffalo have been kept there for milk, cheese and ricotta for centuries. In 1859 Achille Bruni, professor at the Royal University of Naples, described the making of buffalo mozzarella: after the milk had been coagulated with goat rennet, the whey was taken off with a wooden ladle and boiled to obtain ricotta from it.