Parmigiano Reggiano is the most famous of Italian cheeses and has been made the same way for 700 years.
During this time many historical figures have added to its renown. Boccacio dreamed of Parmesan in his Decameron of 1348, Samuel Pepys hastily buried his during the Great Fire of London and, in the last years of his life, Moliere would eat nothing else.
For hundreds of years producers of the hard, granular cheeses made in the Po Valley fought over whose were the best. Those around Parma and Reggio finally won and all the other cheeses became grouped under the generic name of Grana, the most famous being Grana Padano. Parmesan is a French word that was adopted by the English in the C16.
Today, a regulating body ensures strict rules of production among the 800 dairies that are allowed to make parmesan. The evening milking (from cows fed exclusively on grass and hay) is left overnight and the next day the cream is skimmed off to make mascarpone. The milk is then mixed with the morning's milking in huge copper cauldrons and the rennet is added.
The cheeses are floated in brine baths for approximately 21 days to protect the rind over the long ageing process. This takes place at a controlled temperature of 22C and for the first 6-7 months the cheeses are turned every 4-5 days. For the following 6-7 months they are turned every 10-12 days. After this it is up to the producer how much longer he matures the cheese.
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