Canestrato di Moliterno

The rind carries the striped impression of the baskets used to shape the curd. Inside, the cheese has a compact paste with irregularly distributed eyes. Its color ranges from white or lightly straw-colored in primitivo to a deeper straw shade in the older forms.

Age changes how the cheese meets the table. The younger flavor tends toward sweet and delicate; longer aging brings a stronger, sharper character. Primitivo is a table cheese, while stagionato and extra can be served in pieces or grated. In rafanata, grate the cheese before mixing it evenly with the eggs, potatoes and horseradish.

Whole sheep’s and goat’s milk are coagulated with lamb or kid rennet. The curd is broken into rice-sized pieces and pressed into food-safe baskets that give the rind its striped surface. The wheels are salted, dried and then aged in Moliterno’s fondaci. A whole wheel weighs between 2 and 5.5 kg.

Serve primitivo as a table cheese. Stagionato and extra can be served at the table or grated over a dish. For rafanata, weigh the cheese without its rind and grate it before combining it with the eggs, potatoes and freshly grated horseradish.

Choose Canestrato di Moliterno with the PGI indication and check its age. Primitivo is aged at least 60 days and up to six months; stagionato is over six and up to twelve months; extra is over twelve months. The certified wheel’s firebrand has two concentric circles, the name CANESTRATO DI MOLITERNO and a castle with three towers. For a cut piece, keep the label that identifies the cheese.

Follow the seller’s or pack’s refrigeration directions and date. Protect the cut face and keep the cheese separate from raw ingredients. Remove the rind before eating or grating: it is not edible. Take out only the portion needed and return the remainder to its wrapping.