Experience Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is enjoyed the world over. Its distinctive flavour and versatility means that it can enhance the flavour of almost any dish and is the perfect addition to cheese boards.
It is produced within a restricted area that includes Parma, Reggiano Emilia, Modena, Bologna (on the western bank of Reno River) and Mantova (on the eastern bank of the Po River). It is a hard, fat granular cheese, cooked rather than pressed, named after the restricted area of production. The cheese is handmade by craftsmen using traditional methods handed down for more than eight centuries.
It takes time…
The cheese is then placed in salt water for 20-25 days and is taken into the “cascina”, for maturing. It then undergoes a long process of ageing (the minimum legal requirement is 12 months, but Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese releases its best aroma and fragrance after 24 months). The rooms used for maturing it can accommodate 270 thousand wheels. They are usually located in the vicinity of the major commercial centres of the production zone. When you visit Parma, don’t miss this ‘Bank of Cheese’ – it is quite an experience!