Warmth is the first craft. The curd was brought up with heated water or whey toward about 45–47 °C, and the work went on until the pieces were no larger than a hazelnut. After a few minutes the mass came out of the vat; later the buttermilk was drained away, leaving a firmer body ready for the next, more sculptural steps.
When that curd was judged ready, it was sliced into thin ribbons and plunged into boiling water. A wooden menatora stick then worked the paste until two peaks could be joined—the familiar paired form that gives caciocavallo its hanging silhouette and a small drama of stretch and seal.
The cheeses were set on boards, then salted by a full dip in saturated brine. The following day they were left to drain until they were said to be ready to mature: a quiet interval between the heat of the vat and the long wait that the name itself, with its caves of Cervati and the Pertosa gorges, already seems to promise.