[Cooking&Food] Ninety Years and the Seasons Between Two Slices of Bread
Creatrip Team
22 days ago
In Ortigia, Sicily, Caseificio Borderi is a three-generation family cheese workshop that also serves acclaimed panini (Italian sandwiches) inside a bustling traditional market. The shop showcases a wide range of cheeses—from fresh ricotta and mozzarella to long-aged “Grotta” cheeses—and lists the origin of each ingredient on its menu. Some panini are fixed, while others celebrate seasonality: one vegetarian option is made from selected cheeses and seasonal vegetables, and the chef’s panino changes with available produce, labeled “Noi seguiamo la stagionalita (we follow the seasons)” and “TRUST US!!”. Ingredients are treated in multiple ways (raw, grilled, dried, grated) to build complex textures and flavors; examples include capocollo flambéed briefly, artichoke used whole/creamed/heart, and both fresh and sun-dried tomatoes. The Borderi family traces its roots to olive oil production in 1930, later expanding into traditional Sicilian cheese—today Andrea Borderi, his children and in-laws continue production and innovate (e.g., tricotta and stuffed mozzarella). Located in a market overflowing with Pachino tomatoes, Bronte pistachios and wild herbs, Borderi’s panini are the visible result of local ingredients, craftsmanship and time. The story emphasizes that the shop’s reputation is built not just on the finished sandwich, but on the people, place and traditions behind it—summed up by their motto: “Passione. Qualita (passion and quality).”
