Cheeses of Calabria

The picture above shows some of Calabria's best cheeses.

On the left we have fresh ricotta in the traditional baskets that were common when my dad used to make ricotta. These baskets are hand-woven from a weed that all Calabrian shepherds used just to hold ricotta until recent times, when they were forced to switch to plastic baskets in order to meet the "sanitation" requirements of the EU. It is sad for me to see that these beautiful baskets are no longer available. The art of making them is quickly disappearing. I had the shepherd place it some old baskets for nostalgia's sake.

The white cheese next to the ricotta is provola, made with cows' milk in the Sila plateau. The two cheeses to the right, which are made in the same place, are butirro and cacciocavallo silano.