Teneri
- Producer
- Casa Madaio
- Country
- Italy
- Region
- Campania
- Size
- 2.33” tall, 2” wide
- Weight
- 4 oz
- Website
- www.casamadaio.it/en.html
- Milk
- Buffalo
- Classification
- Soft
- Rind
- Fresh
Owned by the Madaio family, Casa Madaio is an acclaimed cheese affineur (maturer) and producer located in Salerno, Italy. The family home, a castle with three towers, is reflected in Casa Madaio’s distinct logo. Mr. Madaio feels that the towers not only represent the home, but also the connection of the past with the future. To him, the towers symbolize his three children Angelo, Renata and David and the future of Casa Madaio. At Casa Madaio, both cheese production and the cheese aging facility are small scale. The business is centered at two different locations. The cheese making facilities are in Eboli, along with the central office, while the aging caves are located at Castelcivita, in the heart of the The National Park of Cilento and Vallo of Diano. The area is steeped in history. The caves have been used to age cheeses by the Madaio family for four generations, and the company places great value on the preservation of the history and flavors of the land, working closely with local universities and with the Slow Food movement to further research. Their cheeses are primarily sold to small specialty shops and restaurants, both in Italy and abroad. Casa Madaio makes both fresh goat and buffalo milk cheeses at their location in Eboli. In addition, they also purchase cheeses made at small mountain dairies nearby that they age themselves at Castelcivita. Teneri is a fresh Buffalo milk Ricotta. It is produced by adding fresh Buffalo milk to the whey left over from producing Mozzarella di Bufala and heating the mixture until Ricotta curds develop. Those curds are skimmed from the top and put into molds. Therefore, technically, Ricotta is actually cheese curds rather than an aged cheese.
Tasting Notes
Teneri is a Ricotta that has the aroma of flowers and hazelnuts, with a clean flavor that is delicate. Teneri has a soft, slightly sticky texture.
Pairings
Pair Teneri with sparkling white wines. It is highly recommended to have with Asprinio d'aversa, but unfortunately, this wine is only found in Naples and the surrounding area of southern Italy. A more widely distributed wine is from the Greco Bianco grape variety; a variety that is almost exactly a match to Asprinio. Teneri is best used as a dessert. Pair it with fruit jam or in lighter, simpler desserts to be showcase its flavor.
