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	ricotta cheese rice-flour noodles ricer rickey ricotta cheese Riesling Rizcous Rob Roy Definition: [rih-KAHT-tuh] This rich fresh cheese is slightly grainy but smoother than cottage cheese. It's white, moist and has a slightly sweet flavor. Most Italian ricottas are made from the whey drained off while making cheeses such as mozzarella and provolone. Technically, this type of ricotta is not really cheese because it's made from a cheese by-product. In the United States, ricottas are usually made with a combination of whey and whole or skim milk. The word ricotta means "recooked," and is derived from the fact that the cheese is made by heating the whey from another cooked cheese. Ricotta is a popular ingredient in many Italian savory preparations like lasagna and manicotti, as well as desserts like cassata and cheesecake. See also cheese. --Copyright (c) 1995 by Barron's Educational Series, from The New Food Lover's Companion, Second Edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst
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