Laticauda Sheep

The name of this sheep breed comes from the Latin latus (“broad”) and cauda (“tail”), and indeed the first thing you notice about the animal is its large, wide tail, which serves as a reserve of fat and water. The breed has developed out of a series of crosses, including between the North African sheep, known as the Barbary, and the local Appenninica breed. According to the most likely hypothesis, it was the Bourbons, during the time of Charles III, who brought African rams to the area, and the resulting crosses led to the breed taking on its current appearance. The Laticauda is also distinguished by its bulk. The ewes can weigh as much as 70 kilos and the rams can reach 90 to 95 kilos, even exceeding 100 at times. The animals have large heads (with no horns on the females), with a smooth, convex facial profile, reddish eyes and long, drooping ears. The fleece is completely white (though a few rare examples have brown heads and limbs) and does not cover the belly. The limbs are long and thin, meaning the sheep is not a good walker. Traditionally the breed was reared close to the farmhouse, on gently hilly ground, in flocks that never numbered more than a few dozen. Other breeds, like the Bagnolese, were taken up to the mountain pastures in the summer, while the Laticauda was used for milk for some cheeses for the family, and for lamb meat. Lamb was and is the most prized product from the breed. It has a high yield after slaughtering and the meat is flavorful but without any of the typical ovine gaminess. However, it also produces a good quantity of milk, rich in fat and protein and well suited to the production of characteristically sweet fresh cheeses whose buttery texture means they can also age well.
The most typical dish linked to the Laticauda breed is ammugliatielli, little rolls made from the “fifth quarter,” the offal normally discarded during butchering. The lamb meat is also excellent more simply prepared, such as roasted in the oven or grilled over charcoal.

Season

The lamb meat is available in particular between December and April, while the cheeses are found between January and October