Pasta Filata Cheeses

Pasta filata is an Italian term meaning ‘spun paste’ and refers to a technique of immersing the curd in hot water or whey, then kneading and stretching it. Well known pasta filata cheeses include mozzarella, a semi-soft, unripened cheese made with the milk of cows or water buffalo; provolone, a ripened cheese that is available as a mild dolce or a stronger-tasting piccante; and Caciocavello, which is also ripened, often smoked, and can be just firm enough to slice when young or hard enough to grate when mature. All such cheeses are widely used in the Italian kitchen, especially for toppings, fillings and stuffings.