This particular variety of Caciocavallo (considered the best and more noble example, defined by some as the Parmigiano Reggiano of the South) takes its name from the breed of cattle used for its production. The Podolica cows live in a free range condition in the Mediterranean brush, feeding on strongly aromatic grasses such as wild fennel, liquorice and laurel bay whose perfumes are absorbed into the milk. Podolico Caciocavallo necessitates a lengthy ripening period which can sometimes be prolonged for several (it is claimed, sometimes as long as twelve) years. As for all the other kinds of Caciocavallo, the cheeses are ripened by hanging the forms roped together in pairs over a beam or a stick (a cavallo- on horseback) and it is this method that has given the cheese its name.
This particular variety of Caciocavallo (considered the best and more noble example, defined by some as the Parmigiano Reggiano of the South) takes its name from the breed of cattle used for its production. The Podolica cows live in a free range condition in the Mediterranean brush, feeding on strongly aromatic grasses such as wild fennel, liquorice and laurel bay whose perfumes are absorbed into the milk. Podolico Caciocavallo necessitates a lengthy ripening period which can sometimes be prolonged for several (it is claimed, sometimes as long as twelve) years. As for all the other kinds of Caciocavallo, the cheeses are ripened by hanging the forms roped together in pairs over a beam or a stick (a cavallo- on horseback) and it is this method that has given the cheese its name.
