cheese
Ricotta
Soft fresh whey cheese; dolloped on white pies.
- Origin
- Italy
- Moisture
- high
About
Ricotta ("recooked") is made by reheating the whey left over from mozzarella or provolone production until residual proteins coagulate into soft, milky curds. For pizza, dollop it raw in tablespoon-sized spoonfuls on a white pie or grandma — never spread it as a sauce, which leads to a wet, weeping pie. Drain it in a fine sieve for 30 minutes if it looks loose. Whole-milk ricotta from an Italian deli is the target; avoid skim, which is grainy and watery.
History
Ricotta has been made across Italy and the wider Mediterranean since at least Roman times as a thrift product of cheesemaking — a way to extract more from the same milk. Sicilian and southern Italian cooks brought it into pizza and pasta traditions long before it was a Whole Foods staple.
Substitutes
- Fior di latte — different texture; use only if ricotta unavailable