Vastedda of the Belice Valley

Lele1989 - CC4.0

Vastedda della Valle del Belìce PDO is a stretched curd cheese made from whole raw sheep's milk from Valle del Belìce sheep fed on pasture or fresh fodder. The Vastedda della Valle del Belìce holds all the secrets of an ancient tradition. He was an ancient Sicilian dairyman, who working the milk of his sheep from which to produce cheese put the pasta in the reed molds. When the processing began to turn sour due to the heat, the old cheesemaker tried to remedy it by immersing it in hot water. Thanks to that particular technique, the pasta began to spin, which then placed on a plate took the characteristic shape of a focaccia. Thus was born the first form of Vastedda della Valle del Belìce. All the skill of Sicilian cheesemakers is needed to adapt the spinning technique to sheep's milk. The Vastedda cheese from Valle del Belice has an ivory white color and a sweet, fresh flavor, with a slightly acidic but never spicy taste. Its particular processing makes it light and digestible, decreasing the fat mass present and keeping the levels of proteins, vitamins and mineral salts unchanged.