| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Region | Basilicata, Southern Italy (but basically all over Italy) |
| Classification | Semi-soft, hard (depending on age) |
| Age | From a few days until one year |
| Milk | Cow, buffalo, goat, or sheep |
| Weight | 1 to 10 kg (2.25 – 22 lb) |
| Shape | Sphere |
| Diameter | 11 to 20 cm (4.5 to 8 inches) |
| Height | 23 cm (9 inches) |
| Rind | Natural |
| Aroma | Strong, intense, earthy |
| Taste | Sweet, milky, buttery (first 30 days), Pungent with oily and gamey flavors (after 90 days) |
| Pairing | Rustic bread, quince preserves, fig sauce, onion jam, vegetable soups |
| Beverage pairing | Chianti, Cider, Lagers, Pinot Grigio, or any sparking white wine |
| Texture | Springy, stringy |
| Color | Yellow |
This semi-soft cheese is an archetype of the Italian cheese-making technology pasta filata, or ‘stretched-curd’.
Caciocavallo is mainly made and produced in southern Italy. However, there are many regional variations today.
This cheese can be produced using sheep’s, goat’s cow’s or buffalo milk. It can also be smoked.
Caciocavallo Tasting Notes
| Maturation | Taste |
| First 30 days | Sweet, milky, buttery |
| After 90 days | Sharp, pungent, spicy, intense, earthy |
During the first 30 days of maturation, this cheese tastes sweet, milky and buttery. After 90 days it becomes pungent with oily and gamey flavors.
How to Enjoy (PAIRING)
Caciocavallo can be sliced and served like any cheese along with rustic bread and fruit jams (such as quince preserves or fig sauce) and a glass of sparkling white wine.
The aged version can be graded into pasta dishes, dishes with meat and mushroom or vegetable soup for additional flavor.
Buy Caciocavallo online:
- Italian Caciocavallo Cheese - Cut and wrapped by the hands of our cheese experts, Ships Prime expedited in an insulated package to ensure freshness.
- This Italian Caciocavallo Cheese specialty hails from the Southern Italian provinces of Abbruzo, Calabria, Campania and Sicilia. The meaning of its name has been debated for centuries, but its Latin roots are Cacio - cheese and Cavallo - horse. Some historians think it is so named because it was originally made from mare's milk, others because it was transported on horseback.
- Italian Caciocavallo Cheese - The most popular theory is that the name has nothing to do with a horse, rather that caciocavallo is a copy of an ancient Turkish cheese called qasqawal. The origins of the name notwithstanding, caciocavallo is a traditional pasta filata (stretched curd) cheese made from cow's milk.
- The best is Italian Caciocavallo Cheese - Other pasta filata type cheeses are mozzarella and provolone. Caciocavallos are gourd-shaped and come to us in pairs, tied together by a rope that loops around the "neck" of each cheese.
- Italian Caciocavallo Cheese - After an aging period of three months, this ancient cheese takes on a tangy, meaty flavor with hints of anise and almonds.
More Cheeses from Italy:
- Cacio Faenum
- Squacquerone di Romagna
- Quartirolo Lombardo
- Casatella Trevigiana
- Burrata
- Strachitunt PDO
- Spressa delle Giudicarie PDO
Last update on 2023-06-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API