Ricotta, a soft, low-fat cheese, is really a byproduct of cheesemaking, since it is made from the whey that has separated from the curd. Any type of milk is suitable but in the South it tends to be sheeps or goat’s milk. Ricotta, which has to be eaten very fresh, can be used in hundreds of dishes, both savoury and sweet, and is particularly popular as a filling for calzoni and tarts. In Sicily it is used to make cassata, to stuff Cannoli alla Siciliana or simply eaten with sugar.
