Where is parmigiano reggiano from

The first record of Parmigiano-Reggiano is from Legend has it, that around years ago, Benedictine monks, living in the Parma-Reggio region of Italy, created this cheese when they needed to find a way to extend the shelf-life of the large quantity of milk they were producing. During the s and s, these monks had a monopoly on parmesan cheese and would export it to different regions of Italy.

As the cheese became more popular, it spread to the rest of Europe. This popularity meant that Parmigiano-Reggiano imitators popped up all over the place, so Italy issued a decree that placed exclusive control over the production and sale of this cheese in the hands of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese Conzorzio. Eventually, the European Union would get involved to protect authentic parmesan cheese and decided that Parmigiano-Reggiano should be a protected designation of origin.

Unfortunately for Italian cheese loving Americans, the European designation does not extend to cheeses sold here. This body brings together all its producers and it formally established an official mark of origin for the cheese during the last century. The Consortium verifies that producers in the Reggiano region, or the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua, follow established production rules.

These rules strictly lay down all the stages of cheese making. In addition to safeguarding production, the Consortium is also involved in improving quality, assuring authenticity and promoting knowledge.

The history of this well-known aged cheese goes back many centuries. Where were the first dairies that made the cheese? They were in Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries. The history of Parmigiano Reggiano dates back approximately years. Today, as then, the ingredients were always the same: water, salt, milk and much patience during the aging process.

But, the most important ingredients were the pastures of Emilia Romagna. The Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries, which spread over the plains between Parma and Reggio Emilia, favoured the development of granges or farms for raising cows suitable for milk production. The coming together of these granges with salt from Salsomaggiore, and the need to make a product that would keep for as long as possible, led to the creation of a very particular cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano.

The first written record of Parmigiano dates back to A notary deed, drawn up in Genoa in , mentions caseus parmensis. During the 14th century, the Benedictine and Cistercian abbeys maintained a monopoly on the production of the already renowned cheese by exporting it throughout Italy, reaching as far as the Mediterranean ports.

Over the years, Benedictine agricultural and commercial production expanded, bringing Parmigiano also to Modena. But, from the16th century onwards, it was marketed in the whole of Europe. However, a need for safeguarding its production arose alongside its fame.

Not only Boccaccio, noted the cheese. Save Save. Beautiful images. Thanks for allowing us to see this amazing process. Putting the human face of the farmer, cheese maker, or chocolatioer with their products makes them taste all the better.

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The cheese is all made by hand : The evening milk is poured into a holding basin where the cream separates naturally overnight. This partially skimmed milk is then added to a copper cauldron where it is mixed with the whole milk form the morning milking and warmed.

A delicate process of cooking follows, which is closely, controlled by the cheese master which sees water being expelled from the cheese and the granules sinking to the bottom of the copper cauldron to form a solid mass.

The cheese is then immersed a salt water solution for 20 days which adds the salt for flavour and aging. The cheese is then ready to be aged for a minimum of 12 months where it is inspected.

The certification mark is only applied to the wheels that are inspected and these wheels are suitable for longer aging.