Inside the “calecc” we find the traditional “culdera”, a large copper cauldron shaped like an upturned bell, which can weigh up to 50 kg. The cow’s milk, fresh and still warm, is placed in the “culdera” together with a percentage of goat’s milk (10-20%). The milk is then warmed over the fire using a wooden swivel hoist, called a “màsna”, until it reaches 35-37°C.
After removing the “culdera” from the fire, calf’s rennet is added to coagulate the milk. The resulting curd is then finely broken with a tool called a “spìgn”, a wooden pole with metal strings on one end that comb the curd until it resembles rice grains. The “culdera” is then placed over the fire again and brought to the final temperature of 50-52°C in the space of two hours.
Once this temperature is reached, the cheesemaker uses a linen sheet to remove the curd. He then presses the curd into the “fascere”, round wooden bands of about 50 cm diameter which give the cheese it’s shape. The “fascere” containing the pressed curdare then placed on a slightly tilted wooden shelf, called “spresùn”, which lets the whey drain out of the cheese into a specially prepared gutter.
At this point, the liquid that is left in the “culdera” is the whey which will be used to produce mascherpa (a soft cheese called also “ricotta”).