Today we want to take you with us to discover a unique cheese but especially unique in the world.
Vastedda del Belice DOP is the only Italian pasta filata sheep cheese. Historically it was produced by the skilled cheesemakers of the Valle del Belìce in the summer, trying to recover the sheep that had defects. The name in fact comes from the dialect "vasta" that is bad, gone to bad. The extraordinarily original idea was to rework the failed pecorino by spinning them at high temperature and producing this egg-shaped cheese to be eaten fresh, within two or three days.
Production technology
The Vastedda della Valle del Belice DOP is produced following the production approved by the Ministry.
Raw whole sheep’s milk is coagulated in a wooden tin at 38-39 ºC with the addition of rennet in lamb paste in about 45-50 minutes. The curd is broken with the traditional wooden equipment called "patella" until
size of a grain of rice and hot water is added to the temperature of about 70 C in order to facilitate the purging of the serum. The excess serum and tuma is removed is made to bleed with the hands after being placed in reed baskets called "precentini".
Cheese extraordinary for fragrance, persuasiveness and intensity of taste, Vastedda del Belice DOP should be consumed very fresh: after about an hour from the moulding is ready for consumption. It is delicately scented and a note of butter prevails in the mouth with a background of herbs from the Valle del Belìce, such as grasses and valerian. The best way to taste it is to cut it into large slices and dress it with Sicilian extra virgin olive oil, tomato and oregano. It can also be used as an ingredient in some local dishes, such as the typical pane cunzato.