Caciocavallo cheese is one of the most popular cheeses in Italy and is famous for its signature elongated shape. In the caciocavallo family, there is one kind that is so rare that at times it can be even more expensive than the finest of Parmesans: caciocavallo Podolico. This special type of caciocavallo is made with the raw milk of Podolica cattle, a rare breed of cattle confined to a few areas where water is scarce and survival is difficult. One of these is the Gargano, a peninsula whose close proximity to the sea gives Podolica cows’ milk a rich, earthy flavor. This milk,in combination with how the cheese is aged, lends a salty, sharp, almost spicy flavor to the finished product. Virginio Frumenzio, a full-time livestock breeder and part-time cheesemaker, shares the story of this incredible cheese with us.
