Parmigiano Reggiano

Appearance & taste

A wheel has slightly convex or almost straight sides and a slightly raised edge on the top and bottom faces. The rind, about 6 mm thick, is naturally straw-yellow; the colour may change over time. Inside, the cheese is light straw-yellow to straw-yellow, finely grained and flaky. The specification describes its aroma and taste as fragrant, mild and savoury, but not strong.

Because aroma and taste develop with ripening, the label may give a ripeness category: delicato (12–19 months), armonico (about 20–26 months), aromatico (about 27–34 months) and intenso (about 35–45 months).

A wheel can be recognised by the dotted lettering “Parmigiano Reggiano” all around the side. In addition there are the number of the dairy, the year and month of production, the abbreviation DOP, an oval stamp of the protection consortium and a casein plate that identifies each cheese uniquely. Cheese packed grated or in pieces bears instead a logo with a stylised wheel and a wedge.

Production

The cows are fed with feed from the area of origin: at least 75 % of the dry matter of the feed must be produced there. Silage is prohibited; the farms may not even keep it in stock.

The milk arrives at the dairy raw and untreated. The evening milk is partly skimmed by skimming off the cream that rises overnight. The next morning it goes into the copper vat with the fresh whole milk. The starter is whey from the previous day that has soured by itself at a controlled temperature; commercial starter cultures are not permitted. The milk may only be coagulated with calf rennet. Then the curd is broken up and heated; the cheese mass settles at the bottom of the vat and goes into moulds.

After a few days the wheels are given a brine bath. Then they ripen for at least twelve months in the area of origin; during this time they may lie on wooden shelves. At the end, experts inspect each wheel individually. Grating, portioning and packing are also only permitted in the area of origin, so that the origin remains assured even without the marking on the rind. Grated cheese may contain at most 18 % rind.

Origin & history

The area stretches from the crest of the Apennines to the Po. The specification refers to the soils and to the climate, which directly influences the natural vegetation and the fermentation in the cheese. It attributes the special milk mainly to the feed from the area and to the absence of silage. The long ripening in the local climate is said to give the cheese its typical structure.

The cheese has historical importance for the economy of the area, and its production has been widespread there for centuries. The art of cheesemaking was passed on according to local custom. The specification still prescribes many of its steps today: raw milk, copper vats, calf rennet, brine bath and long natural ripening.