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Moliterno (
Lucano: ''Mulitiernu'') is an Italian
pasta filata
(Italian: "spun paste") is a technique in the manufacture of a family of Italian cheeses also known in English as stretched-curd, pulled-curd, and plastic-curd cheeses. Stretched curd cheeses manufactured from the pasta filata technique undergo ...
cheese that is produced in a similar manner as
caciocavallo
Caciocavallo is a type of stretched-curd cheese made out of sheep's or cow's milk. It is produced throughout Southern Italy, particularly in the Apennine Mountains and in the Gargano peninsula. Shaped like a teardrop, it is similar in taste to ...
and other pasta filata cheeses.
When the cheese is prepared using only
sheep milk
Sheep's milk (or ewes' milk) is the milk of domestic sheep. It is commonly used to make cultured dairy products such as cheese. Some of the most popular sheep cheeses include feta (Greece), ricotta (Italy), and Roquefort (France).
Sheep breed ...
, it is prepared in a different manner, and is referred to as pecorino moliterno or pecorino di moliterno, the latter referring to the cheese made in the town of
Moliterno
Moliterno ( Lucano: ''Mulitiernu'') is a town and ''comune'' in the province of Potenza, in the southern Italian region of Basilicata. It is bounded by the comuni of Castelsaraceno, Grumento Nova, Lagonegro, Lauria, Montesano sulla Marcellana, ...
in the southern Italian region of Basilicata.
Pecorino moliterno is produced as a hard cheese, and during the curing process olive oil is rubbed into its surface, which produces a rind to prevent the loss of moisture.
When the cheese is first drained into baskets before aging, it takes on the shape of the ridges in the baskets, and some people refer to the cheese as pecorino incanestrato, from the Italian word "canestra" for basket.
History
Moliterno was first produced in the
Calabria and
Lucania
Lucania was a historical region of Southern Italy. It was the land of the Lucani, an Oscan people. It extended from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto.
It bordered with Samnium and Campania in the north, Apulia in the east, and Bruttiu ...
regions of
Southern Italy.
Today, it is produced in the
Basilicata region of Southern Italy.
See also
*
Italian cuisine
Italian cuisine (, ) is a Mediterranean cuisine David 1988, Introduction, pp.101–103 consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed across the Italian Peninsula and later spread around the world together with wave ...
*
List of stretch-curd cheeses
This is a list of stretch-curd cheeses, comprising cheeses prepared using the ''pasta filata'' technique. The cheeses manufactured from this technique undergo a plasticising and kneading treatment of the fresh curd in hot water, which gives them ...
*
List of cheeses
This is a list of cheeses by place of origin. Cheese is a milk-based food that is produced in wide-ranging flavors, textures, and forms. Hundreds of types of cheese from various countries are produced. Their styles, textures and flavors dep ...
References
External links
Canestrato di Moliterno Tastealtas.com
{{Italian cheeses
Lucanian cheeses
Stretched-curd cheeses