There are two kinds of "Caciocavallo" Ragusano:

"Ragusano D.O.P.", and "Cosacavaddu Rausanu".

 

The first one, conforming to requirements by the mark D.O.P., acknowledged by DPR. n. 1269 on 30 October 1955 and following by ordinance on 2nd May 1995 has been recognized D.O and at last by CEE regulation n. 1263 on 1st July 1996 has benefit by the title of D.O.P.

The second one "Cosacavaddu Rausanu" produced with techniques an traditional recipes : The milk is coagulated in a wood vat in 34°C with lamb and kid rennet. The broke rennet with the "rotula" cleaned in little wood floor and put on the"mastredda", after two hours is ready to cook with the "scotta" in 80°C for about two hours. So, the rennet (pull out by hand) will mature until the next day. The rennet, cut in slices and posed in the "staccio" before the spinning, using a wood stick, called "manovella", is hand made with hot water. At last, closed the paste and laid down it in the wood "mastredda", it takes a parallelepiped shape. The following day, the cheese is pickled and becomes saturated in about 24 hours.

 

Common characteristics

The "Caciocavallo" is a "pasta filata " cheese, made with cow milk using lamb and kid rennet. The "Caciocavallo" has a parallelepiped shape and blunted corner. The cheese - rind is smooth, thin and compact. Its colour is golden yellow or straw- coloured and the cheese - rind is spread with olive-oil. The paste is straw- coloured and compact. The flavour is agreeable, sweet, soft and not strong, during the early months of the seasoning, after a time the "caciocavallo" becomes spicy. Weight is variable from 10 to 16 kg. Cows' nourishment is the pasture of the ragusane's hills, rich of spontaneous grass, and cultivated pasture, integrated in cowshed with fodder. The production area includes the whole Ragusa territory and Noto, Palazzolo Acreide, and Rosolini in the province of Siracusa.

 

Historical equipments for cheese manufacture

Wood vat, wood stick "rotula", "iaruozzu" tinned copper container in a different sizes, wood container "pisaquagniu", clay container to preserve the rennet "quagnialuoru", wood container for the cheese moulding "mastredda", a little wood or tinned copper vat to spin the cheese "staccio" wood stick "manovella", wood tool to give form to the cheese "muolitu, wood tablet "cugni", wood stamp "marchiu". Cement basins for the pickle. Direct fire in wood-gas.

 

Seasoning

Fresh local, wet and windy sometimes underground called " maizze ". The cheese is kept in cellar and in natural caves, overlapped in a wood- beam fastened with a rope of " liama ", " cannu", " zamarra" or " cotton". In the caves there are differentes tools to clean and handle the cheese, during his seasoning and ripening.