Ricotta is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein has been used to make cheese, notably albumin and globulin.
Ricotta
Ricotta salata is a firm, salted variety of ricotta.
Ricotta affumicata, a smoked variety from the Sila, in Calabria
Ricotta forte is a very soft variety from Apulia sold in jars.
Italian cuisine is a Mediterranean cuisine consisting of the ingredients, recipes and cooking techniques developed in Italy since Roman times and later spread around the world together with waves of Italian diaspora. Some of these foods were imported from other cultures. Significant changes occurred with the colonization of the Americas and the introduction of potatoes, tomatoes, capsicums, maize and sugar beet—the latter introduced in quantity in the 18th century. It is one of the best-known and most appreciated gastronomies worldwide.
Clockwise from top left; some of the most popular Italian foods: Neapolitan pizza, carbonara, espresso, and gelato
A Roman mosaic depicting a banquet during a hunting trip, from the Late Roman Villa Romana del Casale, Sicily
A restored medieval kitchen inside Verrucole Castle, Tuscany
Saffron has been used in Italy for centuries.