Apulian Cheese

Apulian Cheese

Puglia is known also for its delicious cheese and the great numbers of its different varietes: ricotta, pecorino, provolone, spicy and many others. In a rural "masseria" (old farmhouse) we will produce one of our typical cheese, the  "cacio ricotta", a sweet and fresh cheese, one of the symbols of our traditional cookery, usually to season the Orecchiette pasta.  

We will take a tour of the masseria with the young owners, Maria and Francesco, to look at all the animals they lovely breed. 

Their daytime begins at 4.30 am every day, taking care of all animals to pasture freely, milking and cheese production and cultivating. At sunset, is the moment for everyone to return home. Old traditions handed down from generations on.

Old traditions handed down from generations on. The invention of cheese dates back to about six thousand years ago and Apulia became over time an important production center for the whole Southern Italy. 

We will experience to be a farmer, the most tasting and thrilling rule: making the cacioricotta cheese in a typical farmhouse of the countryside between Ostuni and San Michele Salentino.

In their 30 hectars among olive trees and hay meadow we will visit the farm and know the agricultural cultivation; we will see all the animals of the farms and the rare sheep "moscia", a black sheep well-known all ovser the world and typical of Salento. Then, we will produce our own cacio ricotta cheese. At the end, we will also taste all the dairy productions of the farm. Every masseria is specialized in three or more varieties of cheeses each with its particular taste, a unique flavour due to the particular soil, the "air" and the grass. Everything contribute to the cheese softness...! . In this particular one are mostly produced: mozzarella cheese, cacio ricotta, fresh ricotta cheese, pecorino and caciocavallo cheese.