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Mugello today continues to breed sheep for the production of milk and therefore the production of delicious ricotta cheese. Ricotta is known as an albumin or serum cheese, a cheese made as a by-product of cheese from the recooked whey, hence the name, ricotta, “re-cooked".
The characteristics
Ricotta is a fresh cheese made from the whey as it is separated from the curds when making cheese. It is produced from cow’s milk whey, sheep’s milk whey, or a mixture of both. Like in cottage cheese, the finished product takes the shape of the container, usually a truncated cone, with flat sides, and is shiny white. It is creamy, although the texture is spongier if made from sheep’s milk, with a mild, fresh taste and a strong aroma of milk. It comes in ½ kilo to 2 kilo sizes, but the standard size is 1.5 kg.
 The Ricotta cheese
The history
Vasari writes that Giotto, whose real name was Agnolo di Bondone, was born in the year 1266, in Vespignano, near Vicchio.
Legend has it that as a boy he was sent out to tend to the sheep, and that one day he spent the long hours in the countryside engraving a sheep on a rock with a sharp stone. The famous artist Cimabue was passing through the Mugello valley and happened to see that drawing. He was intrigued by the young boy’s artistic ability and stopped to talk to the lad. Giotto offered the stranger a taste of his snack: he was eating a bowl of ricotta cheese and honey. It is said that after having eaten with Giotto, Cimabue offered him a place in his bottega as an apprentice painter. Giotto, with his father’s permission, followed the famous painter to Florence.
If you happen to pass through Vicchio today you can still see the bridge in Vespignano where the encounter took place and visit the home in which Giotto was born.
In Mugello, ricotta cheese is still exactly the same as it was in the 13th century: an important product present in everyday meals. It is, in fact, one of the principal ingredients, cooked or not, in many sweet and salty foods. There are many examples of these dishes, for example ricotta cheese cake or tortelli with ricotta cheese and spinach. Ricotta cheeses, however, can also be eaten with just a pinch of salt, or as a dessert with a bit of jam, or, more traditionally, with acacia honey. Another particularly traditional way to eat ricotta is with “pattona”, a chestnut flour paste.
Where and how it is produced
Cow’s or sheep’s ricotta cheese is produced throughout the Mugello territory.
After extracting cheese from milk a huge quantity of whey, which is rich in protein and lactalbumine, and poor in fat, remains. It is filtered to remove leftover curds and then heated to a temperature of 80°C either over an open flame in copper pots with tin plating, or in stainless steel double bottomed pressure cookers. During the heating process, the whey is stirred gently so that as the temperature rises it starts to coagulate and pieces of ricotta are formed. Once the stirring stops, the pieces of ricotta cheese come to the surface. The ricotta is skimmed with a skimmer and placed in woven baskets for straining, and the removal of the remaining whey. It is then placed in a cold room until it reaches 4°C. A bit of milk or cream can be added to the mix to make the ricotta cheese creamier.
| AZIENDA AGRICOLA SANNA MARCO | Town: Vicchio Phone: +39 329 6052321 | Production and sale of pecorino and ricotta cheeses. | | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA BIOLOGICA BACCIOTTI | Town: Scarperia Phone: + 39 055 8406905 Fax: + 39 055 8406905 | Production and sale of organic products: pecorino, ricotta and raveggiolo cheeses. School farm. | | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA BIOLOGICA ROCCHI | Town: Marradi Phone: + 39 055 804878 | Production and sale of cow's cheese: Montaleggio and Caciotta (raw milk cheese), Formaggella (seasoned raw milk cheese), Latteria (semicotto cheese), Scamorza (spun paste), natural and flavoured Tomini chesees and Ricotta.
| | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA GARIPPA ANTONIO E DANIELE | Town: Scarperia Phone: + 39 055 8406761- 335 5333898 | Production and sale of ricotta, raviggiolo and pecorino, fresh and seasoned sheep's cheese. Tasting of cheeses on request.
| | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA IL SASSO di Farina Salvatore | Town: Borgo San Lorenzo Phone: + 39 055 8495619 - 334 1147580 | Production and sale of pecorino, ricotta and raviggiolo cheese. | | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA MAREMONTI NICOLA E PALAZZO TERESA | Town: Firenzuola Phone: + 39 333 7156566 | Production and sale of ricotta, raviggiolo and pecorino and goat cheeses. | | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA MONGILI MASSIMILIANO | Town: Vicchio Phone: + 39 055 8497393 Fax: +39 055 844354 | Production and sale of ricotta, pecorino and raveggiolo. | | | | AZIENDA AGRICOLA SIRIGU PIERO | Town: Barberino di Mugello Phone: + 39 055 8416404 – 339 2938902 Fax: + 39 055 8416404 | Production and direct sale of ricotta and pecorino cheeses. | | | | AZIENDA AGRITURISTICA LUTIANO | Town: Scarperia Phone: + 39 055 8492000 - 338 5252794 – 333 2089143 Fax: + 39 055 8492000 | Production and sale of pecorino and ricotta cheeses. | | | | COOPERATIVA AGRICOLA IL FORTETO | Town: Vicchio Phone: + 39 055 8448183 - 055 8448745 (punto vendita) Fax: + 39 055 8387589 |
Production and sale of Tuscan DOP pecorino cheese, mozzarella, raveggiolo, burrata (mozzarella filled with creamy butter), ricotta, apples, Chianina meat, wood oven baked bread, biscuits and other baked goods. Sale of locally produced jam, honey, "Castana" beer (produced by chestnut flour) and brown beer (produced by barley malt and organic spelt), wine and extra-virgin olive oil.
Sweet specialties: bruttiboni, cantucci, biscuits, mantovana, plumcake,cakes, ice-cream cake and ice cream; in Summer: zuccotto, Arezzo gatò, ciambellone, panettone e colomba.
Production and sale of Tuscan DOP pecorino cheese, mozzarella, raveggiolo, burrata (mozzarella filled with creamy butter), ricotta, apples, Chianina meat, wood oven baked bread, biscuits and other baked goods. Sale of locally produced jam, honey, beer "Castana"(produced by chestnut flour) and brown beer (produced by barley malt and organic spelt), wine and extra-virgin olive oil. | | | | FATTORIA IL PALAGIACCIO | Town: Scarperia Phone: + 39 055 8494418 Fax: + 39 055 8494418 | Production and sale of cheeses, ricotta, ice cream, meat, spelt and pasta made with spelt flour.
| | | | LA FAGGIOLA di AGRICOOP s.a.c. | Town: Palazzuolo sul Senio Phone: + 39 055 8046053 Fax: + 39 055 8046017 | Production and sale of cheeses (cow's and sheep's cheese, ricotta, butter, mozzarella, raveggiolo), milk and Faggiola's milk. Production of organic cheeses.
| | | | Società agricola I.A.M.S.A. di Marocchi Giancarlo | Town: Firenzuola Phone: +39 055 816031 | Goats and fresh natural herbs cheese, ricotta cheese, cottage cheese, yogurt and goat milk. | | |
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