The product
Ricotta Salata
Salted ricotta made from pasteurized sheep's milk
Code:
31700
Country of origin:
Italy - Sicily
Type of Milk:
Sheep's milk
Weight:
1 kg approx
Minimum order:
1 piece
| Description | Salted ricotta made from pasteurized sheep's milk with a strong flavor thanks to the aging process |
|---|---|
| Appearance | Compact paste with a pure white color |
| Taste | Compared to classic fresh ricotta, as its name suggests, it is characterized by its strong flavor with salty notes |
| Maturing | 15 - 20 days |
| Curiosity | The business was founded by the father in 2000 with the aim of enhancing the value of Sicilian sheep's milk (initially, they worked exclusively with organic milk), and it has gradually grown into the modern and well-organized facility it is today. Every day, they collect around 20,000 litres of milk with three vehicles from three provinces (Palermo, Trapani, and Agrigento) within a 65 km radius of the dairy. They visit about 80 farmers located in mountainous areas that are not always easy to reach; these are small farmers with flocks of up to 200 sheep each, requiring collection rounds that sometimes take the entire day |
| Our selection | Sicily is one of the homelands of Pecorino in Italy, and we traveled there to meet a new producer of sheep's milk cheese. The Biopek Dairy is located in Gibellina Nuova, in the hinterland of Trapani, and is managed by the Messina brothers, Pietro and Andrea. This genuine story has its roots in a small artisanal workshop where Pecorino cheeses, purchased from local producers, were aged and packaged. Since 2000, with the arrival of the second generation of the family, a new production facility was established, and in 2019 the latest expansion brought the production area to 3,000 square meters. Biopek selects and supports the best farms, optimizes daily milk collection with its own tank trucks, and processes the milk that arrives at the facility each day |
| Suggestions | Recommended for a horizontal tasting alongside other cheeses from the Biopek company. Excellent on its own or paired with Macedonia dell'Orto mustard preserves, it can also be grated over pasta or risotto due to its aging |
| Ingredients | Pasteurized sheep's MILK whey, salt. Acidity regulator: E330 |
|---|---|
| Allergens in ingredients | Milk and products thereof |
| Weight | 1 kg approx |
| Packaging | Vacuum packed |
| Storage Conditions (packaged products) | Store at a maximum temperature of +4 °C |
| Instructions for use | Inedible crust |
| Country of origin of the primary ingredient | Italy |
| Nutrition Declaration | Energy: 1165 kJ / 280 kcal Fat: 20 g of which saturates: 14 g Carbohydrate: 1 g of which sugars: 1 g Protein: 24 g Salt: 6 g Typical value per 100 g |
The producer
Biopek - Gibellina (TP) - Sicily
Why we chose them
Caseificio Biopek is located in Gibellina Nuova in the hinterland of Trapani, Sicily, one of the homelands of sheep's milk cheese: the company
exclusively processes Sicilian sheep's milk.
Biopek tells the story of the Messina family, a genuine story that has its roots in a small workshop run by Giuseppe Messina where sheep's milk
cheeses purchased from local producers were matured and packaged. In 2000, his sons Pietro and Andrea joined the company, and the new
production plant was built, further expanded in 2019.
Every day, three proprietary vehicles collect 200 quintals of milk between the provinces of Trapani, Palermo and Agrigento in a radius of about 70
km from the dairy. The deliverers are 80 small farmers located in mountainous and inaccessible areas, who raise flocks of up to 200 sheep. Given
the rural nature of so many breeders, the milk collected is pasteurised and cleaned by centrifugation and then processed in two multi-purpose vats to
make a wide range of pecorino cheeses: from primo sale to ricotta, from "canestrati" to refined.
All cheeses are salted in brine, in a room adjacent to the cheese factory, for different periods of time depending on the cheese size. Then, the
maturing process takes place in different cells for the primo sale cheeses, which become ready in about ten days, and in a cell in the historical part
of the dairy for the semi-mature and mature cheeses. The latter fully express the Sicilian identity of the sheep's milk cheese, so much so that the
brand name designed for these references is I Siciliani'
From the same producer
