Ricotta

Ricotta is a whey cheese, meaning that it is produced from the by-product of traditional cheese manufacture made from whole milk – liquid whey. Once the curds are produced, the whey is drained off and this contains small amounts of cream, plus the whey protein not taken up in the curd. The protein is precipitated out and sometimes cream added to give the whey curd more body and flavour. Traditionally Ricotta has a very short shelf life but modern methods of manufacture and packaging can give an extended shelf life so that it can be found in supermarkets throughout the UK. The resultant soft cheese has a bland but subtle flavour and is a widely used ingredient in Italian style cooking. Some Ricotta is made in the UK but production is on a very small scale.