Puglialat Caciocavallo (Caciocchiato) Fresco

Caseificio Puglialat works out of Puglia, the heel of Italy's boot, where pasta filata cheesemaking is less a technique and more a regional inheritance. They're a southern Italian dairy focused on the stretched-curd tradition that defines this part of the country — caciocavallo, mozzarella, scamorza, the whole family of cheeses that get their character from hot water, strong hands, and timing.

Their Caciocchiato is a caciocavallo in the traditional Pugliese style: cow's milk curd cooked, cut, and then stretched in hot water until it turns glossy and elastic, then shaped by hand into the characteristic pear or gourd form and tied off at the neck. The young pairs get hung over a wooden beam — a cavallo, on horseback, which is where the name comes from — and left to firm up. Sold fresco, the cheese is pulled early, while the paste is still springy and milk-sweet, with the buttery, slightly tangy edge that fresh pasta filata gives you before age turns it sharp and waxy.

They're best known for that fresh caciocavallo: soft, pliable, mild enough to eat straight off the board but built to melt, fry, or grill without falling apart. Dom brought it back from a sourcing trip through Puglia, tasted it alongside the more famous Silano version, and called it exceptional. Right in the sweet spot of what southern Italy does best.