Modicana Cow

Present for centuries in Sicily, the Modicana is a breed of cattle with a characteristic dark-red coat, its hues ranging from wine red to black (especially in the males). The breed’s decline is linked to the introduction of machinery, its poor yield of milk and meat and the fact that many dairy farms have stopped making their own cheese. So while in the 1960s there were still 25,000 animals, today that number has been reduced to 2,000. Nonetheless the Modicana is considered to be of the best triple-purpose cattle breeds.

Season

Raw Modicana milk is used to make Caciocavallo, Ragusano and Provola cheeses from October to May, but they can be found aged throughout the year.

Back to the archive >

The Presidium is working to promote cheeses like Ragusano from the Iblei mountains and Caciocavallo from the Sicani mountains, but also the breed’s high-quality beef. It is helping farmers improve their production systems, the indoor finishing period and the meat processing, and educating consumers to recognize its quality. The beef from pasture-raised animals can be hard for modern consumers to appreciate: If the meat is not hung for exactly the right time, it can be tougher than other types. Additionally, consumers can be put off by the more intense color of the meat and the yellowness of the fat, which comes from the carotene in the pasture grasses.

Production area
Sicily

Supported by
Sicilian Region

Producers

Giovanni Floridia
Contrada Scorsone Zucchero
Ispica (Rg)
Tel. +39 333 8701621
floridiagiovanni70@gmail.com

Illuminato La Greca
Contrada Regalmici
Castronovo di Sicilia (Pa)
Tel. 334 1121090

Liborio Mangiapane
Contrada Casalicchio
Cammarata (Ag)
Tel. +39 327 7570123 - Rif. Domenico Mangiapane
pinudomenico@hotmail.it

Slow Food Presidium Coordinator
Salvo Paolo Mangiapane
Tel. +39 329 2185504
salvopma@tin.it