10 Facts About Ricotta

Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses.

Ricotta curds are creamy white in appearance, and slightly sweet in taste.

Ricotta was most likely consumed by the shepherds who made it.

Ricotta salata is a pressed, salted, dried, and aged variety of the cheese.

Ricotta salata is sold in wheels, decorated by a delicate basket-weave pattern.

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Ricotta infornata is produced by placing a large lump of soft ricotta in the oven until it develops a brown, lightly charred crust, sometimes even until it becomes sandy brown all the way through.

Ricotta infornata is popular primarily in Sardinia and Sicily, and is sometimes called ricotta al forno.

Ricotta can be beaten smooth and mixed with condiments, such as sugar, cinnamon, orange flower water, strawberries, and occasionally chocolate shavings, and served as a dessert.

Ricotta is commonly used in savory dishes, including pasta, calzone, stromboli, pizza, manicotti, lasagne, and ravioli.

Ricotta is similar to Indian chhena or paneer, and not at all like khoa; it can be substituted for the same in the making of Indian sweets such as sondesh or dishes such as palak paneer, but paneer and chhena are made from whole milk, usually from water buffalo, as the milk is high in fat.