Tasty cheeses are a feather in the cap of the local gastronomy of Basilicata, prepared according to the most ancient and traditional procedures, and often served as an appetiser together with local and well-seasoned cured meats.
Obtained from the milk of animals raised on pastureland and cured with traditional methods, the most remarkable ones are the Pecorino PDO of Filiano, a small town in the Vulture-Melfese area, or the Canestro PGI of Moliterno, in the heart of Val D’Agri.
Both protagonists of tasty and renowned festivals and particularly appreciated even outside the region, they can be enjoyed raw, perhaps accompanied by a glass of full-bodied Aglianico del Vulture DOC, or even roasted. In either case, second helpings are a must.
Lovers of dairy products, especially aged ones, cannot miss another successful product: Caciocavallo Podolico Lucano, a stretched curd cheese made from the milk of Podolica cattle and raised in the wild.
In Basilicata it is very common, especially in starters, to combine cheeses with excellent typical salami prepared right here, a real riot of flavours and emotions for the palate. This happens, in particular, when the opportunity arises to taste one of the symbolic sausages of the Basilicata region: the Lucanica di Picerno PGI. It seems that the excellent seasoned sausage with its characteristic “U” shape was also known to the Romans Cicero, Varro and Martial, who attributed the introduction of the exquisite salami to Rome to Lucanian slaves.
