Who doesn’t love cheese? I am sure everyone does, whether it’s on pizza, pasta, desserts, or cakes. On average, each Canadian consumes about 13.8 kg of cheese on an annual basis. There are several types of cheeses like Mozzarella, Cottage, Feta, Parmesan, and ricotta used in our foods. We all are familiar with ricotta cheese made up of cow or buffalo milk that we generally buy from the grocery store, but in this blog, I will talk about sheep milk ricotta cheese, including its nutritional value and health benefits. Before moving on, that let’s see what Ricotta cheese is actually.
What is Ricotta cheese?
Ricotta cheese is an Italian cheese made with sheep, cow or buffalo milk. It has a soft creamy texture and slightly sweet in taste, while the American is saltier and moister. Ricotta is also known as a lighter version of cottage cheese. The word ricotta means “recooked” in Italian meaning it is made from whey which is the by-product of making ricotta.
Traditional Ricotta cheese was made from the whey left
behind in the process of making mozzarella cheese. All the other cheeses that we consume are made from the curds but ricotta cheese is made from a very tiny bit of curd that is left behind in the whey. Ricotta is mostly used in pasta and lasagnas, but it is also being used in other baked goods such as cheesecakes, pastries, pizza, and other desserts.
Properties of Ricotta Cheese
Below are some key characteristics of Ricotta cheese: 
- Ricotta cheese has a sweet, mild flavor. It is light in color, solid, but soft and creamy in texture. It’s crumbly because it’s fresh and not aged like Parmesan and other cheeses.
- Ricotta cheese, in general, has a short shelf life due to its high moisture content, which means it has to be refrigerated and consumed soon after being processed.
- Ricotta cheese can be used as a filling in a variety of Italian pasta dishes such as lasagna and pies, mixed with spinach and other vegetables.
- There are different varieties of Ricotta cheese: smoked, salted and aged. They all taste different depending on how they have been processed.
Nutritional Value of Sheep Milk Ricotta Cheese 
- The taste and nutrition value of cheese depends on how it is processed and what type of milk is used.
- Sheep milk ricotta cheese is high in protein and fats, which provides nourishment for the brain and helps build muscles.
- On average, 100g of sheep ricotta cheese provides around 8 to 10 g of fat.
- Sheep milk ricotta cheese has 5 times more calcium than any other cottage cheese.
- One of the key benefits of sheep milk ricotta cheese is that it is fairly low in calories. 100g of ricotta cheese provides approximately 174 calories. So, if you are willing to lose weight you can add ricotta cheese in a limited amount to your diet as a healthy substitute for other cheeses.
- Sheep milk has twice as much Vitamin C and other essential vitamins than cow or goat milk.
- The fat globules in sheep milk are relatively smaller than cow or goat milk which makes it easier on the stomach and easy to digest.
To conclude, Sheep Milk Ricotta Cheese is an excellent substitute for other types of cheeses and also a tasty alternative to explore. So, the next time you make lasagna make sure to try Secret Land’s ricotta made from sheep milk and see the difference yourself. For delicious pasta recipe, visit Sheep ricotta cheese pasta recipe.
References
http://www.milkingredients.ca/index-eng.php?id=190
https://www.bonappetit.com/story/what-is-ricotta-cheese
https://www.statista.com/topics/4202/cheese-market-in-canada/