Ziger
Ziger, Sérac or Ricotta, is a group of fresh cheeses produced in Switzerland. Ziger is nationally widespread as it is the by-product of the manufacture of hard Swiss-type cheeses, such as Gruyère and Emmental. Made of whey, it is rich in proteins and it is historically a staple food in the Alpine regions.
History
production has been documented in Italy back to the Bronze age. The name "ricotta" refers to the use of whey that remains after the production of cheese; the whey is acidified and boiled again and the proteins still contained in the whey coagulate and precipitate as curds. The French term sérac or séré is mentioned among other cheeses in a Gruyère document dating from 1312. In Valais, it is mentioned in a document from 1437. This appellation, however, might have been associated with another type of fresh cheese which was not a by-product but a domestically made cheese. The Schabziger, from Glarus, is an example of such fresh cheese. Ziger, as a peasant staple food produced from whey, appears in literature from the Renaissance. Several writings from the 18th and 19th centuries also shows that, at that time, Ziger was close to what we know today. From the 20th century, the consumption of Ziger declined owing to an increase in purchasing power. Today its production is very small compared to other Swiss cheeses.In Ticino, Ziger is known as Ricotta, Mascarpa or Zigra, and it has been produced there at least since the late Middle Ages. In the Val Bedretto, eating lunch is called züfé, literally "eating fresh ricotta", an expression that indicates the monotony of the diet of the mountain dwellers in the past.