Rigouta

Rigouta
Country of originTunisia
Source of milkSheep
Texturefresh soft
Aging time1 week
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The rigouta is a Tunisian fresh soft cheese, produced mainly in the city of Béja.[1] The cheese is a close relative to the Italian ricotta and is made with the whey of Sicilo-Sarda sheep.[2]

Production and Usage

The whey is heated at 80-90 °C to coagulate the proteins (albumins and globulins), the result is then drained in small traditional straw baskets, a clean fabric, or a perforated recipient made of plastic or metal. The main micro-organisms responsible of the fermentation are: the Lactococcus lactis and the Enterococcus faecalis.[3]

Rigouta is also used as the basis of several preparations and dishes of Tunisian cuisine.

References

  1. ^ Toukabri Abdelmoumen, La démarche tunisienne en matière de qualification géographique des produits agricoles, séminaire FAO sur les produits alimentaires de qualité liée à l'origine et aux traditions en Méditerranée, Casablanca, 8-9 novembre 2007
  2. ^ Les filières lait en Méditerranée : enjeux pour un futur durable Archived 2012-06-17 at the Wayback Machine, Hammamet 26-28 octobre 2000, EAAP publication No. 99, 2003, p. 102 [117]
  3. ^ « Traditional Fermented Foods of North African Countries: Technology and Food Safety Challenges With Regard to Microbiological Risks », Food Science and Food Safety, vol. 12, No. 1, janvier 2013, pp. 54-89