The ancient custom of transhumance led to the invention of this traditional cheese which has long been produced in the region of Puglia. Transhumance, the seasonal transfer of grazing animals to distant pastures, allowed entire families to make their living by bartering and trading with passing shepherds. 
       One important trade was that practised by the fiscellari, the craftsmen who wove the reed baskets (canestre) in which the cheese was placed, and from which it derived its name (Canestrato). 
       Canestrato Pugliese is a cylindrical uncooked hard cheese made from full sheep's milk and ripened over a period of two to ten months. The area of manufacture encompasses the entire province of Foggia and many town districts within the province of Bari.

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