The Essence of the Territory with Mangiapane Dairy’s Cheeses

15/09/2026 - The work of Mangiapane Dairy is a truly authentic expression of the territory.  It all starts with the Modicana cow, raised in a semi-wild state among the hills of the province of Agrigento, safeguarding biodiversity and environmentally friendly agriculture.

This is a breed that has become a Slow Food Presidium, a historical working animal of the territory with excellent resistance to the scorching Mediterranean summers. It was progressively abandoned during the 20th century due to its low yield in both slaughter and milk production, though its milk has an extremely high quality in terms of flavor.
Today, only 2000 Modicana cattle are raised, compared to 25000 in the 1960s.

From the precious milk of the Modicana cows come the cheeses of Mangiapane Dairy, products through which all the flavors of the territory are manifested, combined with historical local production techniques for cheeses like Provola dei Monti Sicani and Caciocavallo.
It is the latter that is also called the "ingot of the Sicani Mountains," due to its intense golden crust and the parallelepiped shape taken from the typical wooden molds where it is hand-shaped.

Sicilian Caciocavallo is a true act of artisan skill; in fact, the cheesemaker must possess great physical strength and simultaneously a delicate touch to shape it.  

The final spinning phase must transform the curd into a perfect sphere with no cracks, after which the transition from sphere to parallelepiped is achieved thanks to the mastredda, a wooden table on which the cheese is laid and shaped with the aid of heavy pieces of wood. For the correct care of the rounded corners and sides of the form, the cheesemaker must turn the form every 10, 30, 60 minutes for 6-8 hours: processes made of knowledge and craftsmanship, which make this product unique.