Ricotta salata
Cheese
Top 10 pairings
Ricotta salata is the salted, pressed and aged form of ricotta — a firm, chalk-white whey cheese from southern Italy. Milky, faintly nutty and pleasantly salty, it is dry and dense enough to slice, crumble or grate, the classic finishing cheese over pasta alla Norma and summer salads.
Picking a good onedrag
Chalk-white, firm, milky and saltyMouldy, rancid or soapy
Aged longerStill goodLonger curing makes it drier, saltier and sharper, not worse. Crumble it over salads or grate it, and go easy on any other salt.
The cut faceStill pure white, firmer and a little drier with age
Smell at the cutSaltier and sharper, more savoury, still clean