From the dairy
Typical cheeses of the Sorrento Peninsula: the complete guide
Between Sorrento and the Monti Lattari there’s an ancient cheesemaking tradition, built on cow’s milk and stretched curd worked by hand. If you’re holidaying on the Coast or want to bring these flavours home, here are the cheeses to know.
1. Provolone del Monaco PDO
The king of Sorrento cheeses. Semi-hard, stretched-curd, made with raw cow’s milk and aged for at least six months. It’s shaped like a slightly elongated melon and has a bold, buttery, slightly sharp flavour. Its name comes from the cloaks cheesemakers wore to take it to Naples by sea at night: we tell the story in our article on the history of Provolone del Monaco.
2. Fior di latte (and braids)
The everyday fresh cheese of the Sorrento Peninsula: soft, juicy, with a sweet taste of milk. It comes as a mozzarella, a braid or a tortano. It’s the key ingredient of gnocchi alla sorrentina and pizza. Wondering how it differs from buffalo mozzarella? Read fior di latte or mozzarella.
3. Caciocavallo
Stretched-curd, with the classic pear shape tied with string. Fresh, it’s soft and sweet; aged, it becomes more flavourful. Caciocavallo Moscione is a local variety, recognisable by its daisy-shaped head, unsmoked or smoked. Also perfect cooked: try grilled caciocavallo.
4. Provoloncino di Sorrento
Smaller and firmer, ideal with local cured meats or “hanged” over the embers so it melts straight onto the bread. Here’s the hanged provoloncino recipe.
5. Palm Sunday Caciocavallini
Small stretched-curd cheeses shaped by hand for Palm Sunday and tied to olive branches. An Easter tradition found only in spring: discover the tradition.
6. Whey butter
Less well known, but typical of the area’s dairies: it’s made from the cream of the whey left over from stretched-curd cheesemaking. Excellent in baking or simply on bread with jam.
Where to buy them
Caseificio Perrusio has been making them in Meta di Sorrento since 1965, with cow’s milk worked every morning. You can visit our shop or have them delivered: we ship chilled throughout Italy (24/48 hours, free from €50) and to several European countries.
Dicono di noi
Molto Buono, data di consegna rispettata
Consegna in 24 ore dalla spedizione.
Ottimo prodotto.
Ho provato entrambe le stagionature e le ho trovate buonissime
Lo conoscevo già perché sono di Piano. Ottimo prodotto
Comoda la spedizione
Consegna perfetta e prodotti buonissimi!!
.
.
.
.
.
.
Sempre supremo come formaggio
Formaggio eccellente. Il caseificio Perrusio è l’unico della DOP Provolone del Monaco a spedirlo all’estero.
Formaggio dí qualità superiore con excelente rapporto prezzo/qualità. La piattaforma e-commerce è semplice da usare e il costo di spedizione in Europa è molto competitivo. Sicuramente un fornitore affidabile da tenerlo sott’occhio.