/ Typical products / Cheeses / Parmigiano Reggiano / Typical products / Cheeses / Parmigiano ReggianoParmigiano Reggiano comes from a tradition spanning 9 centuries in a well-defined area, because it is here that the elements combine magically to create this cheese made from raw cow's milk, hard cheese without any additives.
Parmigiano Reggiano is one of the symbols of Made in Italy that many envy. Its characteristics are determined by the territory, and that is the principal and inimitable ingredient.
Another factor that affects the taste and texture is aging. Its aging is a true maturation process that lasts at least 12 months, and all we can do is wait. Fortunately, our producers manage to shorten this waiting time and provide it to us right away!
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The earliest records of Parmigiano Reggiano date back to the 1200s, with a notarized document from Genoa in 1254 confirming that the "caseus parmensis", meaning cheese from Parma, was known in this city, which was far from its production area.
A crucial role was played by the Benedictine and Cistercian monks, who over time continued to refine the production technique. Thanks to them, the trade expanded into Romagna, Piedmont, and Tuscany. In the Middle Ages, the cheese wheels were much smaller, while today they weigh over 40 kg. Over the years, production techniques have evolved to meet regulations, but the recipe has remained the same for a thousand years: milk, salt, and rennet, without the use of additives.
The production was recognized as a Protected Designation of Origin by the European Union in 1996, with a very strict regulation that stipulates that production must take place in a very limited area, namely the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua to the right of the Po, and Bologna to the left of the Reno. In this area, milk production, cheese making, minimum 12-month aging, packaging, and grating of the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP must occur.
Clearly, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP is inimitable because the essential element is Italy and its territory!
Among the typical questions we get asked, the most common is: what is the difference between Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano? Here we explain it in detail to delve deeper into the topic.
Generally, Italian products are the biological children of their territory. The Parmigiano Reggiano DOP is a prime example when it comes to a food product with well-regulated characteristics.
Therefore, Parmigiano Reggiano DOP must be produced with 100% milk from cows kept in mountain areas, more than 60% of the cows' feed is grown in the mountain area; it must be aged for at least 12 months in the mountain area or within a maximum of 30 km from the administrative boundary of the mountain area. After 20 months, the cheese undergoes selection by a tasting panel and a chemical analysis to determine quality compliance.
Parmigiano Reggiano is a 100% natural cheese composed of 30% water and 70% nutrients. A 25 g serving of Parmigiano Reggiano covers 36% of the calcium requirement and 24% of the phosphorus requirement; a significant part of the nutritional content is provided by proteins, and it is naturally lactose-free . There are natural microbiological conditions that ensure lactose is absent in Parmigiano Reggiano from the very first days. Since lactose is a sugar, during the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, lactose is fermented by lactic acid bacteria flora in the first 48 hours after processing, during which lactic acid bacteria, naturally present in milk, convert the lactose sugar into lactic acid in the first two days of production.
But we want to emphasize that Parmigiano Reggiano DOP is free from preservatives!
Even less experienced individuals can discern the distinctive qualities of Parmigiano Reggiano by tasting a "tocchetin". The aging time is decisive for the perception and definition of certain nuances. Some say the sensation is a journey of discovery to the mountains, perhaps for others a more or less cheerful and flowing music because of its sweet notes. Fundamentally, the tastes that can characterize Parmigiano Reggiano are sweet for a lightly aged cheese; salty for a more aged cheese, and bitterness is often related to the mountain herbs that the animal has eaten.
Another characteristic is the versatility in how it is served, as it can be eaten in chunks, flakes, or grated. For more information, check out our Parmigiano Reggiano Recipes.
Since we are food lovers, we don’t overlook the rinds either; the best way to enjoy them is to toast them!
When looking at Parmigiano, you notice white specks inside, which are tyrosine crystals. These appear not only in this product but also in cured meats or other foods that have been carefully aged and are an indicator of high product quality.
A wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano must weigh between 30 kg and over 40 kg. To produce a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano, about 550 liters of milk are needed, with an average of 14 liters per kilogram of cheese produced.
Parmigiano Reggiano is the most imitated cheese in the world. In 2023, it was awarded the title of "best cheese in the world" by Taste Atlas, and everyone envies us for it, but it is impossible to make Parmigiano Reggiano with milk produced outside this region or from abroad. The European Court of Justice ruled on 26/02/2008 that the term “Parmesan” is not generic but an evocation of Parmigiano Reggiano and therefore constitutes a violation of EU regulations on geographical indications, as well as a misleading practice towards the consumer.
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