Soft white cow-milk cheese; roughly translates as "cooked again". It's made from whey, a by-product of other cheese-making, to which fresh milk and acid are added. Ricotta is a sweet, moist cheese with a fat content of around 8.5 per cent and a slightly grainy texture.

This is a fresh, soft, creamy cheese smooth in texture.  It is made from the whey after being separated from the curd during the heating process.  The strained whey is heated again; ricotta means re-cooked in Italian.   In Italy, ricotta is made from sheep's milk, while ricotta made in the United States is from whole or partly skimmed cow's milk.  Ricotta cheese has sweet nutlike flavor, is white in color, and can range from moist to dry in texture.   Ricotta is perishable and will keep in the refrigerator up to 1 week.  Avoid ricotta cheese that smells sharp or fruity since this indicates the cheese is no longer fresh.

A fresh, moist, slightly sweet Italian-style cheese similar to cottage cheese. Used in savory dishes such as lasagna and desserts such as cheesecake.