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What is raviggiolo?
Raviggiolo - synonyms: ravigiolo, raveggiolo, ravaggiolo - is a soft cheese made from whole cow's milk, occasionally made of sheep and / or goat, a typical Italian.
It enjoys the recognition of Traditional Agri-food Product (PAT) and is produced above all in the Apennine ridge between Emilia Romagna and Tuscany; production extends, marginally, to the north of the Marche region.
Rich in proteins with high biological value, specific vitamins and minerals of milk and derivatives, raviggiolo belongs to the II fundamental group of foods. The nutritional intake is also characterized by less desirable peculiarities, such as the significant presence of cholesterol and saturated fats - however lower than fatty and seasoned cheeses.
Insight:
The municipalities in which the raviggiolo is produced are: Modigliana, Bagno di Romagna, Portico and San Benedetto, Premilcuore, Santa Sofia in Romagna and Bibbiena, Chiusi della Verna, Pieve Santo Stefano, Poppi, Pratovecchio, San Godenzo, Sansepolcro and Stia in Tuscany, all common in the National Park of Casentino Forests, Monte Falterona and Campigna.
Raviggiolo has the typical appearance of fresh non-seasoned cheeses, without crust, with soft dough; it comes in small cylindrical forms of white color, with the surface drawn by the container in which the curd is collected for the purge of the serum. The pasta has no holes and a semi-hard consistency, tendentially tender, serous, elastic and melting; the color is white, with a sweetish taste and only slightly acidulous, and a delicate flavor characterized by typical notes of fresh milk and butter.
Raviggiolo is produced in the autumn-winter period, from October to March, when the milk is scarce and "poorer". The preparation is simple: the milk - pasteurized today - is coagulated with the addition of lacto-graft and animal rennet; after breaking the curd, pour the mixture on perforated surfaces to purge, then be salted and placed in the appropriate containers where it remains only a few days.
In the kitchen the raviggiolo mainly has the role of fresh table cheese but can also be used in the structuring of some recipes.
Nutritional Properties
Nutritional properties of raviggiolo
Raviggiolo is a dairy product belonging to the II fundamental group of foods - foods rich in proteins with high biological value, specific vitamins and minerals of milk and derivatives.
It has an energy supply and a level of fat that is more than relevant but, being a fresh cheese - it contains over 60% water - they are still lower than those of aged and / or fat cheeses. Calories are provided mainly by lipids, followed by proteins and small amounts of carbohydrates - most of which are degraded into lactic acid by the bacterial flora. Fatty acids are predominantly saturated, peptides with a high biological value - that is they supply all the essential amino acids in the right proportions and quantities with respect to the human protein model - and soluble / simple carbohydrates - type lactose disaccharide.
Raviggiolo does not contain fiber, while cholesterol level is far from negligible. Also due to the action of the lactic bacterial flora, raviggiolo contains a modest amount of histamine, which is formed by decarboxylation of free histidine. Being a highly proteinic product, this cheese provides considerable amounts of phenylalanine amino acid. The quantity of purines is rather limited. Does not provide gluten.
The vitamin profile of raviggiolo is characterized by its abundance in riboflavin (vit B2) and retinol or equivalent (vitamin A and / or RAE). Many other water-soluble group B factors such as thiamine (vit B1) and niacin (vit PP) are fairly concentrated.
With regards to minerals, on the other hand, the cheese shows significant concentrations of calcium, phosphorus and sodium chloride.
Diet
Raviggiolo in the diet
Raviggiolo has a significant caloric intake - especially due to the presence of fats; it is, however, more or less in the middle of the energy classification of cheeses. Its relevance in the diet varies according to the nutritional status of the consumer. In the slimming diet against overweight - which must be low-calorie and normolipidic - raviggiolo is certainly more advisable than seasoned cheeses, especially fats; this does not mean that it is necessary to adapt both the portion and the frequency of consumption to the case.
The prevalence of saturated fatty acids on unsaturates, associated with the presence of cholesterol, makes raviggiolo unsuitable or irrelevant in case of hypercholesterolemia.
Raviggiolo can instead be considered an excellent source of essential amino acids, all contained in the high biological value proteins of which it abounds. It is recommended in the various situations characterized by a greater dietary need for essential amino acids, such as: general malnutrition and specific protein, chronic malabsorption and increased metabolic requirements - pregnancy, breastfeeding or extraordinarily intense and prolonged sports. The use of raviggiolo as a nutritional source of high biological value proteins / essential amino acids is however limited by its less desirable properties - see cholesterol, saturated fats and sodium - which, in a balanced diet, require the use of portions and frequency of consumption of medium entity.
Lactose, limited in itself thanks to lactic fermentation, can be annoying for hypersensitive intolerant people. The presence - even limited - of histamine requires attention in the event of specific intolerance. It has no contraindications for the diet of celiac, hyperuricemic and against kidney stones (renal lithiasis) from uric acid. Being rich in phenylalanine, it must be taken in moderation in the case of phenylketonuria.
By virtue of the wide range of water-soluble vitamins of group B - which mainly perform the function of cellular coenzymes - raviggiolo can be considered a useful food to support the metabolic processes of various tissues. In the raviggiolo the liposoluble vitamin A and / or the equivalents (RAE) abound, necessary to maintain the visual function, the ability to reproduce, the cellular differentiation, the antioxidant defense, etc., to be integral.
For the significant amount of sodium, the raviggiolo is only limitedly allowed in the preventive and / or therapeutic diet the primary sodium sensitive hypertension.
Concerning the richness of calcium and phosphorus - a very useful feature to support skeletal metabolism, a very delicate process in fetal development, growing and in old age with an increased risk of osteoporosis - raviggiolo is recommended in the diet of the pregnant woman, of the child and the elderly. Note : it is good to remember that for bone health it is necessary to ensure a correct intake of vitamin D or adequate sun exposure.
Raviggiolo cheese is not allowed in the vegan diet. Moreover, for the use of animal rennet, it must also be excluded in the vegetarian and religious Hindu one. It has no contraindications for kosher and halal feeding. The opinion of observant Buddhists can be contradictory.
The frequency of consumption for a healthy person of raviggiolo - as a dish - is maximum 2 times a week, with an average portion of about 80 g.
Kitchen
Raviggiolo in the kitchen
Raviggiolo is mainly used as a table cheese - as an appetizer or a dish - also seasoned with a little extra virgin olive oil or green sauce. It often appears on mixed cutting boards of cold cuts and cheeses, with pickles and pickles, accompanied by piadina, tigelle, crescentine, fried dumplings or simply bread and others.
Raviggiolo can be used for some recipes, for example the famous cappelletti romagnoli or ravioli di magro - both filled with cheese. It easily blends and is exceptionally soluble; therefore it lends itself to being melted on slices of toasted bread or polenta.
The most suitable winemaking combination is with white wines, especially Trebbiano.
Conservation of the raviggiolo
Being a fresh cheese, raviggiolo should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature above 0 ° C but not above 4 ° C for a maximum of 10 days.
Description
Description of the raviggiolo
Raviggiolo is a small cheese. The sizes, mainly cylindrical in size, have a diameter of 20-25 cm and a lower edge of 5 cm. The weight is between 800-1400 g. The shapes are milk white in color, with the marks of the perforated molds in which the curd is purified from the serum. The cheese has no rind or peel.
The pasta, which is also white when cut, is totally without holes and has a semi-hard but tender, soft, elastic, serous and melting consistency. It gives off a very pleasant scent of milk. On the palate it is sweet, thanks to the presence of lactose, followed by a delicately acidulous note. Note : if the acid prevails, the raviggiolo is no longer well preserved. The bitter and the spicy must be absent. The flavor, on the whole, is characteristic but very reminiscent of fresh milk and butter. Note : not properly stored, both externally and when cut, it tends to turn yellow.
Production
Raviggiolo production
The production of raviggiolo can be summarized as follows:
- Milking of cows - Romagnola, Bruna Alpina or Pezzata Rossa - bred on the spot, possibly sheep and / or goats; the milk remains whole
- Pasteurization; once upon a time raw milk was used
- Heating at 34-38 ° C and addition of lacto-graft with prevalence of thermophilic lactic bacteria - possibly small doses of mesophilic strains - and liquid rennet
- Let stand 20-25 'and then break the curd until it reaches a grain the size of a hazelnut
- Collect the clots and drain them in special containers with holes for some hours at 20 ° C, where the cheese mass ends the purge from the serum
- Salting and storage in cold storage; some use to wrap the shapes in fern leaves
- Packaging in heat-sealed trays.
