SQUACQUERONE PDO

Squaquarone PDO is one of the typical cheeses of the area and is mostly eaten with “piadina romagnola” (a kind of unleavened bread). Like “cassatella”, it is a variation on the earlier “ravviggiolo”. The main ingredient is full fat cow’s milk which is curdled. The difference between this soft cheese and “raviggiolo” is in the ageing and salting processes. The shape is indefinite (which is where it gets its name from: “acqua” meaning water and describing its soft, liquid consistency) and weighs between 1 and 3 kg. It is soft and tender, without a rind and tastes of slightly acidulous milk. It is produced all year round but is eaten fresh within three days at the most.

Squacquerone from Romagna (Squaquaron) has ancient origins and is closely linked to life in the countryside where it used to be produced and eaten during the winter, because it could be kept fresher for longer.
It is a soft cheese, round and wobbly (this is where it gets it name from), it does not have a rind and the taste is particularly similar to pleasantly acidulous milk. It is made from full fat milk. To get “squacquerone”, pasturised milk is heated to 37-38 degrees and liquid rennet is added; it curdles in 20-25 minutes. After the curd is broken, the cheese is left to stand to get rid of the excess liquid. Then it is placed in special moulds in a room heated to 25-30 degrees with 90-95% humidity. Initially, the cheeses are turned over continuously, and then less and less; the process comes to an end when the cheese has reached the right consistency; it is left in brine for about two hours. It matures in 4-5 days in the fridge at 3-4 degrees, where the cheese is wrapped in paper; the finished product has a yield of ll-12% of the original. There is no ageing process and the cheese is produced all year round. It is best spread on hot “piadina” and enjoyed with either of these white wines: Colli Romagna Centrale Bianco or Pagadebit di Romagna.