Ricotta forte, strong spreadable ricotta from Puglia

Strong spreadable ricotta

4.6 19 reviews

Ricotta forte is the strong spreadable cheese of Apulian tradition, also known as ricotta scanta or schianta: pungent, creamy and tangy. Spread it on bread with an anchovy, or stir a teaspoon into tomato sauce. 100 ml pack.

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Data sheet

Reference
RICOTTA-FORTE
Origin area
Lecce / Salento
GMO Free
Si
Handmade product
Si
Preservatives used
No
Formato
100 ml
Ingredients
Latte di pecora, caglio e sale
Short production line / 0 Km
Si

Description

🧀

Ricotta forte

“They call it scanta, meaning burning: the tip of a teaspoon is enough.”

Ricotta forte from Salento: creamy, pungent and tangy, to spread on bread or melt into a sauce. An ingredient of Apulian cooking for anyone who loves bold flavours.

Spreadable Pungent flavour 100 ml pack

Ricotta forte, literally “strong ricotta”, is a spreadable cheese for people who love bold flavours. In southern Italy it is also called ricotta schianta or ricotta scanta, meaning “burning”: the aroma is pungent, the taste sharp and intense, and a little goes a long way. Unlike ricotta salata, which is grated, ricotta forte is spread: on bread, usually with an anchovy, or melted by the tip of a teaspoon into tomato sauce.

It is creamy and just tangy enough, and brings a unique flavour both to traditional dishes and to more original recipes. Ours comes from Salento, in Puglia, in a 100 ml pack.

Tradition

Many names for one cheese

In Puglia, ricotta forte changes name from one area to the next, and each name says something about its character. Some call it ricotta acida, “sour ricotta”, for its penetrating taste; others ricotta schianta, because it “knocks out” the palate with its strength; and then there are ricotta scanta, scante and squanta, all dialect variants of the same product.

Whatever the name, it remains a staple of many traditional Apulian recipes, giving them a character no other cheese can replace.

👃 The first time you open it. If you have never tasted it, the smell will seem very strong: don't worry, it has not gone off. The pungent acidity is exactly its character. And if you remember it slightly differently, that's normal too: it is a natural, artisan product that changes a little with the time of year, the pasture and feed of the flocks, the weather and the part of Puglia where it is made. Give yourself time to get to know it, and try it in different recipes.

In the kitchen

How to use ricotta forte

🍞
On bread with anchovies
The classic way: spread on bread, with an anchovy fillet on top.
🍅
Melted into sauce
The tip of a teaspoon in tomato sauce, for a bolder dressing.
🥟
In panzerotti
To flavour fried panzerotti, including Apulian potato ones.
🍝
With orecchiette
Stirred into semolina orecchiette with turnip greens and anchovies: the recipe is below.
🥖
Bruschetta with cherry tomatoes
Toasted country bread, a layer of ricotta forte and cherry tomatoes dressed with olive oil, salt, pepper and basil.
🍯
Crostini with honey and walnuts
Toasted rustic bread, ricotta forte, a drizzle of wildflower honey and chopped walnuts for crunch.

The recipe

Orecchiette with ricotta forte and turnip greens

For four: 400 g orecchiette, 1 kg turnip greens (cime di rapa), 100 g ricotta forte, 2 garlic cloves, 4 anchovy fillets in oil, chilli, extra virgin olive oil and salt.

1
Clean the greens
Remove the toughest leaves and the thick stalks.
2
Cook together
Boil the turnip greens in plenty of salted water for 5-7 minutes, then add the orecchiette and cook them with the greens.
3
The base
In a pan, heat the oil with garlic and chilli, then add the anchovies and let them melt.
4
Finish
Drain pasta and greens into the pan, add the ricotta forte and stir until it becomes a cream that coats the pasta. Serve hot with a drizzle of raw olive oil.

Another recipe

Frittata with ricotta forte and vegetables

You need 6 eggs, 150 g ricotta forte, a courgette, a red pepper, an onion, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper.

1
The vegetables
Dice the courgette and pepper and slice the onion thinly; soften them in a pan with the oil.
2
The eggs
In a bowl, beat the eggs with salt and pepper, then stir in the ricotta forte.
3
Cooking
Pour the mixture over the vegetables and cook over medium-low heat, covered, until the frittata is set.
4
To serve
Hot or at room temperature, with a mixed salad.
❄️ How it travels. Our cheeses are shipped in a polystyrene box, not in a refrigerated truck: that's why we send them in the cool season.

Product sheet

At a glance

Product Ricotta forte (ricotta scanta, schianta)
Ingredients Sheep's milk ricotta
Allergens Milk
Size 100 ml
Origin Salento, Puglia
Flavour Pungent, sour, intense
In the kitchen Spread on bread, melted into sauce, with orecchiette and in panzerotti

FAQ

Everything you want to know

How is it different from ricotta salata?

Ricotta salata is firm and grated; ricotta forte is creamy and spread, or melted into sauces. Its flavour is far more pungent and sour.

It smells very strong: is that normal?

Yes. The pungent aroma and the acidity are its character, not a sign that it has gone off.

Why is it also called scanta or schianta?

They are Apulian dialect names: “scanta” means burning, “schianta” recalls the force with which it hits the palate. In Puglia you will also hear ricotta acida, scante or squanta.

How much should I use?

Not much: in a sauce the tip of a teaspoon is enough. For the orecchiette recipe above, 100 g is enough for 400 g of pasta.

How is it shipped?

In a polystyrene box. That's why our cheeses are sent in the cool season.
🧀

The boldest flavour of Puglia

Pungent, creamy, tangy: spread on bread with an anchovy or melted into a sauce, ricotta forte brings the most down-to-earth Apulian cooking to your table.

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Customer reviews

in Italian

Buona, più soda di quella comprata fresca, ma fa' il suo dovere nei panzerotti

Verified buyer
in Italian

ottimo prodotto, un classico della tradizione salentina

Verified buyer
in Italian

Buona ma poca: mi piacerebbe ci fossero confezioni da 500 gr

Verified buyer

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