PARMIGIANO REGGIANO DOP 1/16 vacuum packed 2,5Kg

Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP is a hard cheese, cooked and not pressed, produced with raw cow's milk obtained from animals raised in the production area, mainly fed with local fodder.

Method of production

For the production, milk from the evening milking is used, which rests in steel tanks for the whole night. After being partially skimmed, the evening milk is decanted together with that of the morning milking, in the characteristic copper boiler in the shape of an inverted bell, and added with the graft whey, then heated to 33 ° C. Once the temperature is reached, the rennet obtained from the stomach of suckling calves is added until it coagulates, which takes place in 12-15 minutes. The curd is turned over and then broken and the cooking phase begins over low heat. The mass obtained after cooking is wrapped in bands and placed in a wooden or Teflon mold. Here it assumes its characteristic shape and receives a casein plaque which is incorporated on the surface of the crust and which, thanks to an alphanumeric code, uniquely identifies each individual shape. Then follows the salting, which takes place by immersing the wheel for 20-25 days in a solution saturated with table salt, and finally the seasoning on wooden boards, carried out in suitable rooms at controlled temperature and humidity and which lasts from a minimum of 12 months up to over two years. Only the shapes that pass a very strict selection are labeled with the brand in focus.

Appearance and flavor

Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP has a cylindrical shape, diameter 35-45 cm, height 20-26 cm, weight between 30-40 kg. The rind is golden yellow. The paste is hard with a color that varies from slightly straw to straw yellow. The structure is minutely grainy, with a flaky fracture. The pasta has a delicate flavor with a fragrant aroma, tasty but not spicy.

Production area

The production area of ​​Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO lies in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the left of the Reno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region; Mantua to the right of the Po river, in the Lombardy region.

History

The origins of Parmigiano-Reggiano PDO date back to the Middle Ages, thanks to the work of the Benedictine and Cistercian monks of the Po valley who, between the Apennines and the right bank of the Po, reclaimed the marshes and cultivated the pastures necessary to feed the cows. .

Gastronomy

Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP, if vacuum-packed, should be stored in the refrigerator at a temperature of 2-8 ° C; if not pre-packaged, it is advisable to place it in aroma-saving containers, or wrapped in greaseproof paper. Particularly versatile, it is the main ingredient of many traditional Italian preparations, it can be eaten as a table cheese, alone or combined with salads and both fresh and shell fruit. Grated, it is the