Canestraio

Canestro, meaning ‘basket’, is named after the mesh used to strain the curds. For thousands of years this mesh was made with woven straw or rush, but now it is unfortunately made of plastic. Mainly produced in Puglia, Sicily and Sardinia, canestraio is a semi-cooked cheese made with cows’ and ewes’ milk and then pressed by hand into the basket. Round in shape, it weighs about 2-3 kg (4½-6½ lb) and is imprinted with the weave of the basket. It is salted in brine then aged for 2 to 6 months, or even longer depending on whether it is to be used fresh or matured for grating. It is used in the same ways as caciotta, and has a mild flavour which strengthens with age.