Summer T ime Summer Cheeses By Heather Opolony Category Manager, Cheese Just because the weather is heating up doesn’t mean you have to stop eating…or merchandising and selling cheese! As a matter of fact, there are five common cheeses that are perfect for the lighter fare that consumers tend to eat during the summer. Here’s a quick look at each…and remember KeHE has a complete Deli cheese program, which includes these varieties and many, many more! and then there’s the nonCheese: riCotta Properly pronounced (ri’kɔtta), Ricotta is actually not a cheese at all in the traditional sense. Ricotta literally means “re-cooked,” and is a cheese by-product from made from the whey protein drained from such cheeses as mozzarella, provoloine and other cheeses. American ricotta is generally made with a combination of whey and whole, low-fat, or skim cow’s milk. By-products can be good! The result of the by-products is a soft, snowy white cheese with a rich but milk, slightly sweet flavor that is naturally lower in fat than other cheeses – ricotta typically has a fat content of between 4 percent and 10 percent. It also has a lower salt content, even lower than cottage cheese. Close your eyes and imagine for a minute fluffy pillows of fresh ricotta drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with fresh herbs, sea salt and spread on a baguette. That’s a quick and easy summer appetizer! itsa MoZZarella What’s better than a quick salad of ripe tomatoes, fresh, fragrant basil and cool mozzarella? Well, the only thing that I think that could top that is a nice chilled glass of your favorite Rosé wine. Real, traditional mozzarella is actually made from the water buffalo milk (not North American buffalo or bison as many mistakenly think); but from the actual water buffalo that are primarily herded in Italy or Bulgaria. Water buffalo milk is three times more expensive than cow’s milk – and shipping is costly too; therefore, most mozzarella found here in the US is made from cow’s milk. Fresh Products 2013- 2014 Annual Catalog ~ 23