Ragusano

This is a rare but prized cow's milk cheese from Ragusa province. Rare, because it only comes from the flavoursome milk of a special race of bovines, the Modicana. Ragusano is made in huge brick-like chunks resembling gold ingots, which requires considerable effort to make, with much turning; the more it's aged ('stagionato') the more firm and sharp it becomes. Young, the Sicilians like with a strong red wine; aged, it's the Sicilian answer to Parmigiano.