An inimitable cheese
Man’s work, a thousand-year history, traditions and a beloved and cherished environment all combine to breathe life into an inimitable cheese. And it is first and foremost a microbiological characteristic that binds Parmigiano Reggiano to its area of origin. This cheese is produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena. Here there are approximately 3,000 farms where the cows are fed with fodder and products exclusive to this area. It is from this deep bond with a respected and protected environment that the uniqueness of Parmigiano Reggiano is born.
A journey a thousand years long
Parmigiano Reggiano encapsulates a unique and extraordinary journey, one thousand years long, that is still being travelled today through the same places, with the same passion and the same ingredients. Its origins are rooted in the silent industriousness of the Cistercian and Benedictine monks of the Middle Ages who, driven by the search for a long-lasting foodstuff, began producing large wheels destined for long maturing processes, without additives or preservatives, using only salt from the Salsomaggiore salt mines.
Then, during the Renaissance, the size of the wheels increased, reaching a weight of 18 kg. In the 16th century, the cowsheds attached to the dairy used to process the owner’s milk were developed and milk was added to the production from the sheds of the sharecroppers who took turns helping the cheesemaker. In this period, the dairy became a real productive, economic and then social reference point. In these years, the production also established itself definitively in the province of Modena: in fact, we can find mentions of Parmigiano in various pasta and dessert recipes by chefs of the time.
At the beginning of the 1900s, some important innovations were introduced that are still relevant today, such as the use of whey grafting and steam heating. On 27 July 1934, the representatives of the dairies of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Mantua agreed on the need to approve a mark of origin for their cheese and the Consorzio per la difesa del Grana Reggiano (Consortium for the Protection of Grana Reggiano), later called the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano (Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Consortium), was officially founded with all producers becoming members.
A thousand years later, Parmigiano Reggiano has not changed its basic production methods: today, as in the Middle Ages, it is produced naturally, without additives. It is made in around 350 small artisan dairies by farmers and milk producers who still use the original processing method and keep to the same very high-quality level.
The flavour of biodiversity, the taste of tradition
Parmigiano Reggiano comes from the land and the wisdom of man: milk production, processing, the minimum maturation and packaging are carried out exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the left of the Reno river and Mantua to the right of the Po river.
Its uniqueness begins on the farms, where the cows are fed with locally sourced fodder, harvested from the plains of permanent pastures, the rolling hills rich in alfalfa and the mountains. To their milk, the cheesemakers add rennet and whey starter obtained from the previous day’s processing and rich in natural milk enzymes. About 550 litres of milk are needed for each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano.
After about fifty minutes of cooking at 55 degrees, the cheesemaker extracts the cheese mass that will give rise to two twin wheels. Cut into two parts and wrapped in the typical linen cloth, the cheese is placed in a cylindrical mould called a fascera that will give it its final shape. It is only 12 months after the cheese has been branded and salted that the experts of the Protection Consortium check the wheels, tapping them with a hammer: with his attentive ear, the expert beater recognises any defects and decides whether the product conforms to the indications of the production regulations and is suitable for a longer maturing period, even up to 40 months, which will give it the definitive title of Parmigiano Reggiano selection.
