What it is
A Castelfranco in Miscano caciocavallo made exclusively from Bruna cow milk, using hot scotta from ricotta-making and a rudimentary siero-innesto effect from wooden vats.
Origin place card
Castelfranco in Miscano — Benevento. Use a territory-level page where the source gives a production area rather than a single origin comune.
Verified history
The official source marks the Castelfranco version as especially prized and ties its distinction to both Bruna cow milk and variant production technique. Treat this as source-supported tradition/history from Regione Campania — Caciocavallo di Castelfranco; the current evidence does not independently establish a founder, precise origin date, first attestation, or archival origin beyond that source framing.
Local hypothesis
Hypothesis layer: read the cheese through milk ecology, pasture, preservation and market need, but do not turn that interpretation into origin fact unless a source proves it.
Local legend / oral tradition
No specific legend documented in the official page; keep this block open for producer interviews.
Ingredients
Milk from Bruna cows, rennet, scotta/siero, salt; wooden tins and boiler memory. Source-supported detail: Nelle zone di produzione della mozzarella di bufala, cioè le province di Napoli, Salerno e Caserta, si produce anche il caciocavallo di bufala , secondo le tecniche di lavorazione tradizionali del caciocavallo, ma utilizzando latte di bufala.
Method
Hot scotta from ricotta extraction is used as liquid for curd maturation; wooden vats retain acid whey between batches, creating a simple siero-innesto effect. Source-supported detail: Il nome deriva dall'antica consuetudine di appendere il formaggio, il cacio, in coppie, legate con un cappio di rafia, a cavallo di pertiche di legno in prossimità di focolari, per favorire la formazione della pellicola esterna e la successiva stagionatura.
Ritual / calendar
La buccia è sottile, piuttosto morbida, la pasta è con testina e legatura vegetale.
Why travel for it
A Benevento page where one technical detail — scotta bollente — turns a cheese into place.
Recreate-it pathway
Do not write a full make recipe; preserve the scotta/siero-innesto method as source-backed process.
Editorial warning
Regione Campania product sheet is descriptive/divulgative; do not publish as a final tested recipe, legal specification, or hygiene protocol. Keep quantities, pH, temperatures and maturation ranges as source-backed notes only; fieldwork with producers is needed before recipe testing.
Fieldwork questions
Interview Castelfranco producers on whether wooden vessel practice survives under modern hygiene rules.
Photo brief
A round Castelfranco caciocavallo with small head beside wooden vats.