The milk curds and whey used to make this cheese are pressed and dried even before the cheese is aged, giving this pure white cheese a dense but slightly moist spongy texture and a salty, milky flavor -- like a dry Italian feta.

This ricotta is not ricotta as Americans have come to know it. In Italian, ricotta simply means "recooked."

It is a cheese-making process rather than a specific cheese.

This sheep's milk ricotta is also a salata, or "salted," cheese.

Use Ricotta Salata in salads, pastas, beans, and sprinkled on pizza.