Manteca Cheese with a Creamy Butter Centre

Artisan Manteca Cheese with a Butter Centre

Manteca Cheese is one of Southern Italy's most distinctive dairy specialities. From the outside it resembles a classic stretched-curd scamorza, but inside it contains a soft centre of butter that gives it a unique flavour and texture. Rooted in the region's pastoral traditions, it remains appreciated for its authenticity and simplicity.

An Ancient Recipe Born During Transhumance

Manteca has origins in cheesemaking traditions influenced by Spain: its name comes from mantequilla, meaning butter. Historically it was made to transport and preserve butter during long seasonal livestock migrations, enclosing it in a protective layer of stretched-curd cheese. It is a fresh cheese with a short ageing period, naturally rich, whose colour may become more or less intense depending on the time it has matured.

Perfect with Warm Bread, Pears and Cheese Boards

Manteca Cheese is delicious simply served with warm bread, allowing its buttery centre to reveal its full creaminess. It also pairs beautifully with pears and fresh fruit and makes a distinctive addition to boards of Lucanian cured meats and cheeses. Its appeal lies in the balance between delicate stretched-curd cheese and the soft butter enclosed within.

We recommend refrigerated shipping from June to September (available at checkout).

Shipping in Italy and Europe

Standard shipping within Italy costs €8.90. Orders over €99 qualify for free shipping within Italy.

We carefully pack our products to protect them from impacts, compression and temperature changes. Special protective packaging is used where needed.

Delivery within Italy generally takes 24–72 hours after dispatch. For EU destinations, delivery times and charges depend on the destination, parcel weight and shipping service selected at checkout. Faster and more economical services may be available.

Please allow up to two working days for order preparation. To avoid weekend delays, fresh products such as cheese, bread and cured meats are generally not dispatched from Thursday onwards.

Estimated transit times begin once your order has been dispatched, not when it is placed.

For full details, please read our Shipping Policy.