{"id":1349,"date":"2022-08-14T21:15:00","date_gmt":"2022-08-14T19:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/der-bussard.de\/en\/?p=1349"},"modified":"2023-08-19T10:32:31","modified_gmt":"2023-08-19T08:32:31","slug":"parmigiano-reggiano-tradition-since-over-a-thousand-years","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/der-bussard.de\/en\/2022\/08\/14\/parmigiano-reggiano-tradition-since-over-a-thousand-years\/","title":{"rendered":"Parmigiano Reggiano: Tradition since over a thousand years"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Parmigiano Reggiano, known as Parmesan cheese, is named after the Italian province of Parma, where it was first produced 1500 years ago. Parmesan is obtained from cow’s milk and is a dry, very flavorful cheese. It is characterized by its yellow color, the rind is hard and has a brown to blackish color. Parmesan is one of the most protein-rich cheeses: a 100g piece of Parmesan cheese contains almost 40g of protein.
Parmigiano Reggiano is said to have been first marketed around the year 1200: Parmesan is said to have arrived in Genoa as early as 1254 \u2013 the city is very far from the Parmesan production area. In the 14th century, Parmesan spread further \u2013 Parmigiano Reggiano was now also known in Romagna, Piedmont and Tuscany. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Monks<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Similar to the Swiss cheese T\u00eate de Moine<\/a>, monks played a major role in the invention of Parmesan: in the Middle Ages, Benedictine monks were looking for a long-lasting and lucrative cheese that could be preserved. The salt from the Salsomaggiore salt flats and the cows on the monasteries’ farms paved the way for the production of Parmesan cheese in Parma.
By 1400, Parmesan cheese was already so popular that producers were considering a significant increase in production. Consequently, the weight of the cheese loaves also increased: a loaf of Parmesan cheese now weighed 18 kilograms. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without Parmesan cheese having been protected so early, it would hardly be recognized in its current form. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Protected origin \u2013 still controversial today<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Early on, producers of Parmesan cheese considered it necessary to have a protected designation of origin: On August 7, 1612, the Duke of Parma passed a law making the designation of origin “di Parma” official for Parmesan cheese, among others. Thus, the Duke of Parma was a pioneer in the field of designations of origin: The protection of Parmesan cheese was the beginning of the Protected Designations of Origin now in use throughout Europe, which also provides legal protection for numerous other cheeses. August 7, 1612 was thus a decisive day in the history of Parmesan cheese \u2013 without Parmesan cheese having been protected so early, it would hardly be recognized in its current form. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Even after almost 400 years, the protection of Parmesan cheese remains a hot topic for the producers of the Italian hard cheese: the trade consortium responsible for marketing Parmesan cheese decided in 2022 to embed microchips in 100,000 wheels of cheese to combat counterfeiting of the cheese and identify fake cheese. If the system proves successful, the company hopes to use it in all cheese wheels in the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the 18th century, there were repeated wars and disputes in the duchies of Parma and Modena \u2013this century is still a dark passage in the history of Parmesan, as production was cut back enormously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A piece of Parmigiano Reggiano, \u00a9 Simon von Ludwig<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Production of Parmesan cheese<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Approximately 13.5 liters of milk are required for one kilogram of Parmesan cheese \u2013 accordingly, one loaf of Parmigiano Reggiano requires approximately 520 liters of milk. It is crucial that the untreated and silage-free raw milk is brought to the cheese dairy within two hours of milking. The milk from the evening milking rests in copper vats in the dairy until morning. The next morning, the cream layer is skimmed off and the partially skimmed milk is mixed with the whole milk from the morning milking.
The milk is then warmed and lactic ferment from the previous day is added. By adding calf rennet, coagulation is initiated \u2013 with the help of the cheese harp (ital. spino<\/em>), the curd is obtained from the coagulated milk. Now the curd is gently heated so that casein and whey are separated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Once heating is complete, the cheese granules sink to the bottom of the copper vat: here the granules are lifted out on large cloths. The excess whey drips off and is used as feed for fattening pigs.
The cheese mass now obtained rests for two to three days in round molds called fascere<\/em>.
In these molds, the cheese body acquires its typical round shape: Within three weeks, the loaves are repeatedly immersed in brine to preserve the cheese.
This is followed by the ripening period of the cheese: for this purpose, the cheese is taken to air-conditioned storage rooms and cellars, where it is kept for at least twelve months. During this ripening period, the wheels are regularly turned and cleaned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Maturation period<\/strong><\/h4>\n\n\n\n

After the minimum one-year ripening period, each wheel is subject to an inspection: perfect wheels are either removed – usually a Parmesan cheese ripens for two years \u2013 or left in the ripening cellar for a longer ripening period. The maturity levels of Parmesan cheese are divided as follows: <\/p>\n\n\n\n