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FORMAGGIO.IT Il Portale del Formaggio |
| Ragusano | |
| Name of Group of Producers |
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Inspection Body |
| Cooperative - Unione Provinciale di Ragusa Via Carducci, 245 |
Consorzio Ricerca Filiera Lattiero-Casearia |
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Cheese from whole cows' milk, with medium to long ageing, having a block shape and a square cross-section, with rounded corners. It is possible to find slight grooves on the surface from the cords used to hang the cheese during the ageing process. The external colour is a straw to golden yellow, tending towards brown with further ageing. The product may be "enveloped" in olive oil, depending on traditional customs. Smoking the cheese by natural smoking processes is permitted, and in this case the designation of origin is followed by the word "affumicato" ("smoked").
Geographical Area:
The entire area of the
Communes of: Acate, Chiaramonte Gulfi, Comiso,
Giarratana, Ispica, Modica, Monterosso Almo, Pozzallo,
Ragusa, Santa Croce Camerina, Scicli and Vittoria in the province
of Ragusa, and the Communes of Noto, Palazzolo
Acreide and Rosolini in the province of Siracusa,
defining an area with particular environmental characteristics.
The cheeses of Sicily have been known since the time
of ancient Greece and have maintained
certain characteristics over the centuries,
despite being adapted to the changing tastes and production methods of
various eras, In recent times it was decided to
establish regulations for the different types of
cheeses produced in Sicily, including "Ragusano" cheese, which has been
recognized under Italian
law for several decades and which is currently regulated by a special
decree which defines the requisites for the designation of origin. After the
milk is coagulated with calf or kid rennet, the curd is
broken into granules which are initially lentil-sized, and which
are about the size of rice grains by the end of
processing . After the drying stage, the curd obtained is cut
and covered with hot water, making it possible to process it into
its characteristic shape.
The product is then salted and aged for a medium-long period of time. The natural
factors are connected with the environmental conditions of the
production area, mostly mountains or foothills, which influences
the quality of the forage used to feed the cows
in the defined area. Traditional animal-raising methods
are employed which make use of local resources, in particular the
naturally growing vegetation, sometimes
supplemented with hay. The human factors are
connected with the use of time-established methods, allowing
the product to keep over time its intrinsic characteristics,
which are responsible for the wide distribution
and appreciation of the product in consumer markets. |
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Italian Cheeses PDO |  |