The consortium defends the Sicilian historical-cultural heritage and manifacturing by safeguarding the Vastedda della Valle del Belìce PDO, the typical Sicilian spun paste cheese made entirely of sheep milk... further reading ...
The "Vastedda della Valle del Belìce" obtained the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) from the European Union, the regulation was published in the Official Journal of the European Union on 29 October 2010.
The protected designation of origin "Vastedda della Valle del Belìce" PDO is reserved exclusively for the spun paste cheese, obtained with sheep's milk raised in the Belìce Valley.
All Sicilian cheesemakers skill is needed to adapt the spinning technique to sheep's milk. The Vastedda della valle del Belìce retains all secrets of an ancient tradition. Obtained exclusively from the milk of the Valle del Belìce sheep breed, a variety native to the valley.
Cheese with 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 provides unchanged levels of proteins, vitamins and mineral salts.
The Vastedda della Valle del Belìce is a dairy peculiarity belonging to the territories of the municipalities of Santa Margherita Belìce, Contessa, Sambuca, Menfi, Partanna and Montevago.
The valley of the Belìce is located in the south-west of Sicily and hosts the basin of the namesake river that flows between the provinces of Palermo, Trapani and Agrigento.
Just the river Belìce characterizes these lands, fertile and productive, that saw the birth and prosper Hellenistic civilization.
The Belìce valley. Few pay attention to the grave emphasis placed on the ì of Belìce.
Belìce, which gives its name to both the river and the valley, derives from the Arabic Bil'ch or from the local pronunciation Belìch, an ancient castle located on the confluence of the two branches of the river.
became Bilìchis in the Norman period, the name comes to the present day in Belìce or as the Sicilians say lu Bilìci.
