Pasta filata (Italian: "spun paste") is a technique in the manufacture of a family of Italian cheeses also known in English as stretched-curd, pulled-curd, and plastic-curd cheeses, such as Mozzarella, Provolone and Caciocavallo. Such cheeses are made using a special technique whereby the curd is given a hot whey bath, then kneaded and stretched to the desired pliable consistency.