Canestrato pugliese cheese became an officially DOP (Protected Domination of Origin) in 1996. This product is a hard cheese made from a mixed of sheep and goat milk. It is listed on the Ark of Taste. Puglia variety is made using Lactobacillus brevis. Canestrato Pugliese Puglia, a PDO cheese, is made in the province of Foggia and Bari.
The cheese itself is straw-colored, compact, friable and dense. Aged canestrato has a strong flavor and aroma, while the fresh cheese is more delicate.
It gets its name from the ‘fiscelle’, the reed baskets traditionally used to age the cheese in. The weave of the basket leaves an imprint on the cheese and gives it this characteristic shape.
The baskets should be made of reed from Puglia, which is sweeter in scent than reed grown in the North of the country.
The young cheese should be paired with fava beans, pears or raw vegetables with pinzimonio (a dipping sauce of olive oil, vinegar, salt and pepper). The aged one is best grated over pasta with meat ragù or used in involtini (rolled meat).
Canestrato pugliese DOP
