Each wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano that is approved by the Consorzio receives the official brand. Parmigiano wheels are enormous, weighing 80 pounds. All photography provided by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano.

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November 2006
Updated August 2007

Product Reviews / Main Nibbles / Cheese-Butter-Yogurt

Parmigiano-Reggiano, The King Of Cheeses

Whey To Go ~ November 2006

• Click here to jump to this month’s recommended cheese
• Click here to read other months’ columns

My name is Stephanie Zonis, and welcome to Whey to Go! for November, 2006. Every month, we’ll delve into a new cheese-related subject, and I’ll offer a recommendation on a cheese I love.

What Is Parmigiano-Reggiano?

If you think this month’s column is going to be about something called “Parmesan” that you can buy pre-shredded or vacuum-packaged, we’ll have to send you back to Cheese School. This edition is about Parmigiano-Reggiano, the real deal (accept no substitute!). What’s the difference?  It turns out that anyone can make a cheese called “Parmesan,” which is why large-scale food companies can market little green tubes of salted, granulated sawdust under that name. True Parmigiano-Reggiano, however, must be produced in a distinct region of Italy, by a cheesemaker who is a member of the Consorzio Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, a self-governing body of dairies. The cheese is produced in accordance with strict regulations, and a fine-quality Parmigiano-Reggiano is one of the glories of the cheese world. But more on that later. A little creative time-travel is called for first.

Let’s go back to the medieval era, figuratively speaking (I’d hate to have to do that literally). In the 13th century, in northern Italy, in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna, a long-aged cheese began to be produced in some of the bigger Benedictine monasteries. These monasteries were associated with large areas of land, much of it given over to dairy cow grazing. Cow’s milk is heavily influenced by the diet of the animal, and it’s known that the monks cultivated clover and lucerne, which gave a particular flavor to the milk that came through in the cheese. This was Parmigiano-Reggiano, and there are many who claim that neither the cheese nor its production methods have changed substantially since the 1200s.   
Map: Italy, highlighting the modern province of Emilia Romagna. Today, Parmigiano Reggiano is a D.O.P. protected cheese that can only be produced in the areas of Parma and Reggio Emilia in Emilia Romagna. Map courtesy of Wikipedia.

The Production Process

How is Parmigiano-Reggiano produced? It begins with the cow feed. According to the Consorzio’s regulations, cows producing milk destined to become Parmigiano-Reggiano can be fed only grasses and hay. Any fermented fodder, or silage, such as is commonly fed to cattle here, is off-limits. The cattle also cannot be fed any food of animal origin or any food by-product (that happens all the time in the U.S.).

Because Parmigiano-Reggiano is always a raw milk cheese, milk quality is of great importance and is checked frequently. There are roughly 600 dairies allowed to produced “Parmigiano” (as it will henceforth be called for the sake of brevity), and about 7,000 farms sell milk to these dairies, the milk coming from some 200,000 cows daily. The bulk of these cattle are Friesians, famed for their high milk yield. The cows are milked twice daily. Milk from the evening milking is allowed to stand overnight. By natural processes, this milk will have partially separated during its overnight standing period. The cream is skimmed off, and the partially skimmed milk is combined with whole milk from the morning milking.

The milk is then heated in vast copper cauldrons (some hold up to 1,200 kilograms, or over 2,600 pounds, of milk). The cauldrons must be copper. Officially, the Consorzio holds that copper is used for its superior thermal conductivity and gives no taste to the cheese. But cheesemakers in other countries, such as Switzerland, insist that copper imparts elements of flavor to the finished product. So concerned is the Consorzio with keeping the good name of Parmigiano that it even regulates how many of these heating kettles each certified cheesemaker can oversee (a maximum of seven). These certified cheesemakers have all undergone between ten and fourteen years of apprenticeship, so obviously the making of this cheese is not something lightly regarded in Italy!

The milk is heated in large copper cauldrons.

The milk is gradually heated to 30 to 35°C (86 to 95°F) before starter culture and then rennet are added. The starter culture must be made in each dairy from the previous day’s whey, which is allowed to ferment overnight. And only rennet from calves is allowed as a coagulant, none of the more modern vegetable or microbial rennet. The curd forms and is broken down into smaller particles traditionally by stirring with an enormous balloon whisk called a spinatura or spino (see photo below) The mixture is heated to allow further separation of the whey and development of the correct acidity level. When the latter is reached, stirring stops, and the curd settles into one mass at the bottom of the cauldron.

The curd is hauled up from the cauldron bottom in large squares of cheesecloth and allowed to drain. It’s then divided into halves, and each half is placed into a straight-sided, cheesecloth-lined mold, called a fascera. After more draining, the cheesecloth is removed, and plastic sheets bearing the words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” in a repeating pin-dot pattern, as well as the identifying number of the producing dairy and the month and year of production, are placed between the sides of the forms and the cheese (which is still soft enough to take on such impressions). A disc made of casein is applied to the top of the cheese; this disc contains a unique code which is used to identify every wheel of Parmigiano individually. Only now is salt added, and this is accomplished by immersing the cheese in a brine solution for up to four weeks. Gradually, the salt in the brine will work its way into the center of the cheese, but that requires months of aging.

This huge whisk, called a spino, breaks down the curd.

The minimum aging period for Parmigiano is twelve months. At the end of that time, each wheel is inspected. Inspectors tap the exterior of the wheels, listening for certain sounds. If a wheel sounds hollow, for instance, that indicates physical flaws in the cheese. Sometimes, a thin probe will be inserted to draw out a small interior “core.” The cheese inspectors are well-versed in their art, and they can detect with ease flaws that would elude the average person. If flaws are found, the pin-dot pattern on the sides is scraped off. The cheese can be sold as cheese for grating, but not as Parmigiano-Reggiano. If a cheese passes inspection, the Consorzio certifies it with a brand on the side of the cheese wheel (see photo at the top of the page).

As is typical of so many cheeses, production of Parmigiano can be a tricky business. Even slight alterations in cooking time, acidity level, or any of a hundred other decisions can result in a sub-par end product. When you consider that it takes over 150 gallons of milk to make just one wheel of Parmesan and add in the necessary care and expensive aging time required, you begin to understand why true Parmigiano costs more than any Parmesan. (Parmesans are manufactured in the U.S. and elsewhere.) Some Parmigiano is purposely eaten young (that is, soon after its twelve-month certification), but most is aged for at least eighteen months. However, flavor is always more important than aging, and good handling is crucial to good flavor.

“Red Cow” Parmigiano

Is there something better than top-quality Parmigiano? Yes: It’s Parmigiano-Reggiano delle Vacche Rosse, Parmigiano-Reggiano from Red Cows. Even better than the finest consorzio product, it is made from the exceptionally rich and creamy milk of the original milk source for Parmigiano-Reggiano, the Pezzata Rossa, a breed almost extinct by the by the late 1980s. Like the Jersey cow, its milk has a deliciously higher butterfat content and more milk proteins; but it isn’t a high-yielding cow. After World War II, as the old artisan ways began to succumb to efficiency, it was replaced by the higher-yielding Friesian. The result: a less-rich Parmigiano. The other result: The breed began to die out, since only a few committed farmers would keep less profitable herds. Over the last 25 years, some herds have been reestablished, thanks in part to the Slow Food Movement, and are now being used to produce small quantities of this true connoisseur’s Parmigiano-Reggiano (it’s twice the price of regular Parmigiano).

The combination of higher butterfat and more proteins allows for the production of a cheese that is better suited for a longer period of aging, producing a 30-month-old cheese instead of the 24-month aging period of most other Parmigianos. The extra aging yields a cheese that is uniquely nutty, fruity and grassy, with a flavor that is richer than most Parmigianos. The texture is more creamy, even though the cheese is aged for a much longer time (the rule of thumb is, the longer the cheese is aged, the drier the paste). This is a special-occasion cheese: Serve it as the cheese course, in chunks, drizzled with 25-year-old (or older) balsamic vinegar.

You can purchase Parmigiano-Reggiano delle Vacche Rosse at iGourmet.com and MurraysCheese.com. Note that some wheels are aged beyond three years, sometimes to five years. In general, steer clear of them: Super-aged wheels can be sandy, dry and excessively salty, and paradoxically, will lose the nuanced complexity that you seek in an aged Parmigiano.
Photo above: The entire 80-pound wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Note the stamp of the consorzio, which says Parmigiano-Reggiano, around the side, and the oval brand of the Vacche Rosse, with cows in the center, on the top.

Shopping Tips

Unless you’re an importer or a smuggler, it would be difficult to oversee the handling of a Parmigiano wheel in transit from Italy to the U.S. But there are things to look for to improve your chances of getting the full-flavored Parmigiano for which you’re paying handsomely.

• Never buy pre-grated Parmigiano. Truthfully, I haven’t seen this offered for sale much, but if you do, pass it up. You have no idea how long ago it was grated, and, like, pre-ground pepper, a lot of flavor and freshness can disappear from pre-grated Parmigiano in just a short time. Grating cheese doesn’t take very long, and you’ll be rewarded with a fresher, better-tasting product.

	The Zyliss Cheese Grater has drums for both fine and coarse grating and is dishwasher safe. Put a piece of cheese in the center and turn the handle. Click here for more information or to purchase.	The Oxo Plane Grater, simpler to use, has a 4" x 2" grating surface and bi-directional stainless steel blades. Click here for more information or to purchase.

• Don’t buy vacuum-packed or sealed-in-plastic pre-cut wedges of Parmigiano. If you were vacuum-sealed, you’d suffocate, and the same sad Fate can befall these wedges.
• Do look for a repeated “Parmigiano-Reggiano” in pin-dots on the cheese rind, and look for uneven edges if you buy pre-cut wedges. This shows that the Parmigiano was cut with a special knife designed for splitting this Italian royalty into pieces more manageable for the home consumer.
• Look, too, for marks branded on the side of a wheel reading “EXTRA” or “EXPORT.” Either mark indicates that the dairy asked for an extra inspection of this wheel (aged for at least 18 months), and that the wheel had been found free of any flaws, internal or external.
• If possible, taste the Parmigiano before buying it.
• Don’t think that the minute crystals often found in Parmigiano are a defect, or salt. They are neither. As the Parmigiano is aged, the proteins in the cheese break down into component amino acids. Some of these re-form into a crystalline structure through natural processes, and these form the crystals you sometimes bite into. Far from being a flaw, crystals like these are considered one hallmark of a carefully made and well-handled Parmigiano.

So precious is the Parmigiano-Reggiano name and concept that there have been lawsuits over it. Parmigiano-Reggiano is a D.O.P. (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin) product, meaning that it can be produced only in a limited geographic area and that its qualities or features are due to a combination of natural and human factors existing within this area. In fact, as the result of a lawsuit initiated in 1999, the European Court of Justice ruled in 2002 that “Parmesan” is not a generic term, and that companies may not produce “Parmesan” cheese in Italy, where Parmigiano-Reggiano is a registered product.

Enjoying The Cheese: Serving Suggestions

Presumably, dear reader, you already understand that Parmigiano is used extensively in pasta dishes. But Parmigiano’s uses should not be confined merely to pasta. Parmigiano-Reggiano makes a great table or dessert cheese.

• I eat curls or chunks of it all by itself or with good seasonal fruits (apples, pears, grapes and dried fruits are my favorites).
• Pour a few drops of a good balsamic vinegar over your Parmigiano for even more enjoyment; some people prefer to drizzle honey over their Parmigiano instead.
• You can also sliver Parmigiano into a green salad, grate it into your “mix” for meatloaf.
• Use the rind to flavor soup (remove the rind before eating the soup).

For its rich, full flavor, great texture and versatility, all hail the king!

Sources:

• Parmigiano-Reggiano.it
• American.edu/TED/parmesan.htm
• DiWineTaste.com
• Zingerman’s Guide to Good Eating, by Ari Weinzweig

Cheese Of The Month

I’ll give you three guesses, and the first two don’t count. The Cheese of the Month is Parmigiano-Reggiano, of course. If you’re lucky, you can find it in an upscale market or good cheese shop in your neighborhood. If not, try Murray’s Cheese, Ideal Cheese or Zingerman’s. Good Parmigiano-Reggiano doesn’t come cheap, but a little can go a long way in flavoring a dish. Murray’s has three varieties from which to choose, last time I checked; Ideal and Zingerman’s have one apiece. 

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