Ragusano

Appearance & taste

Ragusano has the shape of a block with a square cross-section and rounded corners. The sides of the cross-section measure 15 to 18 cm, the block is 43 to 53 cm long and weighs 12 to 16 kg. Faint marks of the ropes from which the cheese hangs during ripening may be visible on the surface. The rind is smooth, thin, compact and at most 4 mm thick; it is golden or straw-yellow, rather brownish on the longer-ripened grating cheese, and may be coated with olive oil.

The paste is compact, with possible cracks when ripened longer and occasionally a few holes, and white to more or less deep straw-yellow when cut. According to the specification, as a table cheese Ragusano tastes pleasant, sweet and delicate, only slightly sharp in the first months of ripening; as a longer-ripened grating cheese it is sharper and very tasty. The cheese contains at least 40 % fat in dry matter, and at least 38 % after more than six months of ripening.

At the end of the minimum ripening period the mark is branded into the main face of the wheel; the name “Ragusano” is also printed on the rind with stamping bands. Cheese made only from the milk of cows of the Modicana breed may be called “Ragusano da vacca modicana”.

Production

The dairy cows feed mainly on wild plants and herbs of the Ibleo plateau, fresh or as hay. Only raw whole cow’s milk is processed, with natural rennet and tools made of wood and copper: wooden vat, tinned copper cauldron, sieve, wooden moulds and small wooden slats for shaping the cheese. It is made from November to May, when the green fodder on the pastures is at its best.

Keeping the cows, milk production, cheesemaking and ripening take place in the area. Ragusano is sold as a whole wheel, in pieces, with or without rind, or grated. Cheese whose rind with the printed name is removed, for example for cubes or slices, may only be packed in the area: without rind it dries out quickly and is harder to recognise as genuine.

Origin & history

The area comprises twelve municipalities in the province of Ragusa, including Ragusa, Modica and Vittoria, as well as Noto, Palazzolo Acreide and Rosolini in the province of Siracusa. According to the specification, over 100 forage plants from at least 20 families grow on the pastures of the Ibleo plateau, including corn chamomile, field marigold and wild mustard; they shape the aroma and flavour of the cheese.

The cheese is made in the masserie, farmsteads built of limestone with a cowshed, living quarters, hayloft and a small cheese dairy, surrounded by dry-stone walls. The cows are kept extensively. According to the specification, the interplay of area, milk, feed and traditional production has brought forth this cheese for centuries.