Caciocavallo
A pasta filata cheese similar in behaviour to provolone, traditional to Southern Italy and used in some sfincione recipes.
- Milk
- Cow's milk
- Moisture
- low
- Fat
- moderate
- Stretch
- moderate
- Browning
- moderate
- Oil release
- moderate
- Salt
- moderate
- Use timing
- pre bake
- Heat tolerance
- moderate
- Burn risk
- low
Melt behaviour
Melts smoothly with moderate stretch and a savoury, slightly tangy flavour, similar in behaviour to provolone
Suits moderate bakes typical of Southern Italian tray and pan styles, and translates well to a domestic oven at the same moderate temperature
Storage and preparation
Shreds or slices well; traditionally used in Southern Italian tray pizzas including sfincione
Common problems
- Outside Southern Italy and specialist Italian delis, genuine caciocavallo can be hard to source, which is why provolone substitution is so common
- Its behaviour is close enough to provolone that mislabelling the two in a recipe rarely causes a real problem, but the flavour is subtly tangier
Substitutions
- provolone (widely available, similar behaviour)
Used in these styles
Evidence
Generally accepted
Caciocavallo used in Southern Italian tray pizzas such as sfincione is documented regional practice, with behaviour closely comparable to provolone.
No external sources attached to this specific claim beyond editorial synthesis.