Visit The Dairy With The Locals

Witness the cheese making process at the local caseificio (dairy), when you’ll have an opportunity to taste tuma (the first or “farmer’s” cheese) and ricotta, still warm, just out of the cauldron, coupled with crusty bread from the village paneficio (bread bakery). Join me for Secret Sicily: Life in a Remote Sicilian Town, from July…

52 Reasons to Love Sicily | #40. Life-changing Culinary Experiences

Having an opportunity to go directly to the caseificio (dairy) when the famer is making cheese from the morning’s milking — and my favorite, ricotta (re-cooked whey from the cheese, pictured) right out of the cauldron – wow, there is nothing like it! Grab some warm, sesame-laden bread and bring your appetite because you’ll experience…

Meet Miss Modican Cow

I met this lady last year while walking through the countryside of Ragusa province with Sicilia in Cammino. Dark red Modican cows may be seen throughout the countryside of southeastern Sicily and beyond. They are primarily bred for milk production in order to make Sicilian Ragusano and caciocavallo cheeses. Modican cows graze freely at pasture…

Cheese, Glorious Cheese: Sheep’s Milk Cheese In Sicily

Cheese, glorious cheese! Sheep’s milk cheese that is. In 2018, I wrote a nine part series about cheese making. “Let’s Talk Cheese” can be viewed starting at https://experiencesicily.com/2018/07/08/lets-talk-cheese-part-1/ Once you read Part 1, scroll to the bottom of the ExperienceSicily.com page to “Next Post” to continue. I know you never took cheese for granted before…

Find Your Roots In Sicily

Helping Americans with Sicilian heritage connect to Sicily while researching their roots is one of the most rewarding parts of what we do at Experience Sicily. It is not simply finding names of relatives in the town hall and obtaining official birth certificates. This of course is important; however, I also want you to feel…

Let’s Talk Cheese: Part 9

In the Valle del Belice in Trapani Province, Sicily, they produce a DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta or Protected Designation of Origin) certified “pasta filata” (stretched/pulled) cheese called Vastedda della Valle del Belice. The name, vastedda, comes from the local Sicilian language–vasta means “gone bad.” In other words, the cheese is made from pecorino cheese that…