One of the oldest and most typical spun curd cheeses of Southern Italy, Caciocavallo Silano originated from the Sila Plateau, and the tradition of cheesemaking later gradually expanded along the Apennine mountain range. Produced in the regions of Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Molise, and Apulia, Caciocavallo is made from cow’s milk and has a mild, salty flavor and a smooth, firm texture.

As the cheese ripens, the flavors become more pungent and the texture more granular, making the cheese ideal for grating. The name of Caciocavallo is derived from cacio, meaning cheese, and the method of maturing: cheeses are hanged in pairs over a cavallo, a type of wooden saddle rack.

Cacioricotta is a cross between a cheese and fresh ricotta, produced by combining two techniques of cheese-making. It is both cacio, meaning cheese in the local dialect, and ricotta, meaning recooked, because it is made by bringing fresh milk almost to the boil, then adding the rennet later, when the milk cools and achieves the temperature of coagulation, which causes both the milk and the whey to coagulate.

Cacioricotta from Reggio Calabria and Cosenza is made with goat’s milk, and it can be enjoyed both fresh, after only 2 to 4 days of drying, or it can be left to age for a month. The fresh version pairs nicely with seasonal vegetables, while the aged one is perfect for grating over pasta.

Even though it looks a lot like Pecorino Toscano, apart from being produced in two different Italian regions, these two aged semi-firm sheep milk cheeses both have their own specific flavor profile. Every Pecorino has that famous sweet and salty flavor, but unlike the similarly aged Tuscan version, the earthy flavored Crotonese is known to have an aroma with more sheepiness to it, and a pronounced citrus note.

This Calabrian cheese is named after the city and province of Crotone, where it is being produced mainly between the months of January and June when sheep's milk is of the best quality and most abundant. Pecorino Crotonese is aged in wicker baskets which leave quite distinctive hatch marks on its rind. 

Butirro is an Italian kneaded-curd cheese originating from the Calabria region. Its outer layer consists of solid cheese made from Podolica cow’s milk, while butter is enclosed on the inside, maintaining its flavor and aroma until it gets consumed.

The texture of the cheese is elastic, stringy, and dense, while the aromas are flowery, with hints of lilies and ripe fruits. Originally, this cheese was produced as a way to preserve butter, especially during hot summer months.

Ricotta affumicata di Mammola is made from the whey of goat's milk. The cheese has a soft, velvety texture, a slightly salty and fresh flavor, and a distinct smoky aroma imparted during the production process. After coagulating goat's milk with fig branches and ladling the curds into molds lined with mountain ferns, the cheese is smoked over fresh chestnut or heather wood, creating its unique flavor profile.

Traditionally produced by shepherds in mountainous areas to preserve fresh ricotta, it has become a beloved regional specialty enjoyed sliced on toasted bread, drizzled with olive oil, or paired with jams and aromatic white wines. Its cylindrical shape with a mushroom-like top is distinctive, and it is celebrated annually in Mammola during the Festa della Ricotta Affumicata, held on the first Sunday of July.