The rigouta is a

Tunisia Tunisia, officially the Republic of Tunisia, is a country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It is bordered by Algeria to the west and southwest, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Tunisia also shares m ...

n fresh soft cheese, produced mainly in the city of

Béja Béja ( ') is a city in Tunisia. It is the capital of the Béja Governorate. It is located from Tunis, between the Medjerdah River and the Mediterranean, against the foothills of the Khroumire, the town of Béja is situated on the sides of D ...

. The cheese is a close relative to the Italian

ricotta Ricotta () is an Italian whey cheese made from sheep, cow, goat, or Italian water buffalo milk whey left over from the production of other cheeses. Like other whey cheeses, it is made by coagulating the proteins that remain after the casein h ...

and is made with the

whey Whey is the liquid remaining after milk has been curdled and strained. It is a byproduct of the manufacturing of cheese or casein and has several commercial uses. Sweet whey is a byproduct resulting from the manufacture of rennet types of hard c ...

of Sicilo-

Sarda sheep The Sarda is an Italian breed of domestic sheep indigenous to the Mediterranean island of Sardinia. It is raised throughout the island, in some regions of mainland Italy, and in some other Mediterranean countries, particularly Tunisia. It i ...

Production and Usage

The

is heated at 80-90 °C to coagulate the

protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...

s (

albumin Albumin is a family of globular proteins, the most common of which are the serum albumins. All of the proteins of the albumin family are water- soluble, moderately soluble in concentrated salt solutions, and experience heat denaturation. Alb ...

s and

globulin The globulins are a family of globular proteins that have higher molecular weights than albumins and are insoluble in pure water but dissolve in dilute salt solutions. Some globulins are produced in the liver, while others are made by the immune ...

s), the result is then drained in small traditional straw baskets, a clean fabric, or a perforated recipient made of plastic or metal. The main micro-organisms responsible of the fermentation are: the ''

Lactococcus lactis ''Lactococcus lactis'' is a gram-positive bacterium used extensively in the production of buttermilk and cheese, but has also become famous as the first genetically modified organism to be used alive for the treatment of human disease. ''L. la ...

'' and the ''

Enterococcus faecalis ''Enterococcus faecalis'' – formerly classified as part of the group D '' Streptococcus,'' is a Gram-positive, commensal bacterium naturally inhabiting the gastrointestinal tracts of humans. Like other species in the genus '' Enterococcus'', ' ...

''.�
Traditional Fermented Foods of North African Countries: Technology and Food Safety Challenges With Regard to Microbiological Risks
», ''Food Science and Food Safety'', vol. 12, No. 1, janvier 2013, pp. 54-89 Rigouta is also used as the basis of several preparations and dishes of

Tunisian cuisine Tunisian cuisine, the cuisine of Tunisia, consists of the cooking traditions, ingredients, recipes and techniques developed in Tunisia since antiquity. It is mainly a blend of Arab cuisine, Arab, Mediterranean cuisine, Mediterranean, Punic peop ...

References

{{Cuisine of Tunisia Tunisian cuisine Whey cheeses Sheep's-milk cheeses