Nutritional - the connoisseurFollow me and discover the tasty world of Parmigiano Reggiano, a food whose nutritional qualities make it suitable for people of all ages. I'll tell you about when Parmigiano Reggiano was born, about 900 years ago. A story of time-honoured taste.
How Parmigiano Reggiano is made
"mountain, all of grated Parmesan cheese, on which ‘dwell folk that do nought else but make macaroni and ravioli, and boil them in capon's broth.."
from Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron 1351
This is what Boccaccio wrote in the Decameron in the 12th century, where Parmigiano Reggiano was mentioned as a universally renowned product of excellence.
800 years later, the king of cheese is still produced exactly the same way, with the same ancient methods and natural ingredients.
During a visit at the dairy in Albareto, near Modena, I had the chance to see for myself how the skilled hands of the dairyman and then the long curing period turn milk into Parmigiano Reggiano, with the great flavour of the king of cheese.
This is how the story of the Parmigiano Reggiano wheel all started... The evening's milk is naturally skimmed by leaving the cream, used to make butter, rise to the top; then it is poured into vats where it is mixed with the morning milk, creating a part skim mixture with intact bacterial flora.
The mixture is then heated and the whey, a natural milk enzyme obtained by processing the cheese of the day before, is added; subsequently, rennet is added to allow curds to be created.
At this point, a special tool called "spino" is used to break up the curds.
"mountain, all of grated Parmesan cheese, on which ‘dwell folk that do nought else but make macaroni and ravioli, and boil them in capon's broth.."
from Giovanni Boccaccio's Decameron 1351
This is what Boccaccio wrote in the Decameron in the 12th century, where Parmigiano Reggiano was mentioned as a universally renowned product of excellence.
800 years later, the king of cheese is still produced exactly the same way, with the same ancient methods and natural ingredients.
During a visit at the dairy in Albareto, near Modena, I had the chance to see for myself how the skilled hands of the dairyman and then the long curing period turn milk into Parmigiano Reggiano, with the great flavour of the king of cheese.
This is how the story of the Parmigiano Reggiano wheel all started... The evening's milk is naturally skimmed by leaving the cream, used to make butter, rise to the top; then it is poured into vats where it is mixed with the morning milk, creating a part skim mixture with intact bacterial flora.
The mixture is then heated and the whey, a natural milk enzyme obtained by processing the cheese of the day before, is added; subsequently, rennet is added to allow curds to be created.
At this point, a special tool called "spino" is used to break up the curds.
The curd cooking, extraction and cutting phases follow, obtaining the so-called "gemelle" (twins), which are placed in moulds called "fascere". At this point, the
a casein plaque is applied with the general information of every single wheel.
During the evening, when the wheel is still soft, the Consortium trademark is applied (dotted serial number, year and month of production).
After three days, the wheels are placed to bathe in salt water for 20 days. Once salted, the wheels are moved to the storage room for the curing period.
During the evening, when the wheel is still soft, the Consortium trademark is applied (dotted serial number, year and month of production).
After three days, the wheels are placed to bathe in salt water for 20 days. Once salted, the wheels are moved to the storage room for the curing period.
| How Parmigiano Reggiano is made |
 |
| click to enlarge |
