Cheese basket (La Fuscella) made with juncus

I made a cheese basket using juncus. It’s called ‘la fuscella’ in Italian and ‘la fattoghja’ or ‘la casgiaghja’ in Corsican. It was made and used in many Mediterranean countries, but with EU sanitation laws the use is mostly abandoned. Today  the plastic versions are widely used.

In Sicily, the cheese made with these baskets is called ‘la giuncata’ (giunco-juncus).In Turkish ‘sepet peyniri’ (basket cheese).

They’re also used for making fresh cheese like ricotta, lor (in Turkish), brocciu (in Corsican). A simple way to drain the whey.

I used to strain my fresh cheese with a cheesecloth, which works very well. The only thing is as the whey drops, it sometimes splashes and you have to clean the area around.

As I was researching the way these baskets were used , I never came across the way they were cleaned after use. I just washed mine to get rid of most of the cheese remnants and hung it outside with a string. When it dries if there are any leftovers in between weavings, they pulverize easily. 

Some pieces still get stuck, but I think that’s acceptable.It doesn’t stink and the next cheese taste perfectly fine. 

The basket is made with juncus which grows in wet places.It’s a common plant and can be found everywhere! I found some in an urban area and some in a pine forest, some near ditches. If you keep your eyes open, juncus will show itself to you! 

I first dried mine in a shady place. The day before making the basket I placed them in our rain water tank.Just before using them I wrapped them with an old towel.  Juncus is very pliable, long and durable.It’s the perfect soft basketmaking material I encountered so far!