Official Tourist Information Site of the Municipality of Reggio Emilia
PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO CHEESE
Via Kennedy, 18
Reggio Emilia
Website
Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Red cow's Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmesan Cheese
Half-fat cheese with hard paste which is cooked and slowly seasoned. Parmesan cheese is produced with fermentation acidity coagulation of cow milk coming from animals, generally with seasonal lactation, whose basic diet is made up of grass fodder having more than one kind of crop or plot of lucerne. The milk of evening and morning milking is used which is left resting and is partially degreased by emergence. The curdling is carried out with veal rennet. The use of fermentation inhibiting substances is not allowed. The cheese is then salted for 20-30 days approximately. The seasoning is natural and must last at least 12 months. The seasoned cheese is eaten like this or grated. To produce a kg of Parmesan cheese you need 16 litres of high quality and big dairy attitude milk. Here is a brief description of how the Parmesan cheese is obtained: In the evening, at about 6.00 p.m., milk comes from the afternoon milking and is immediately poured for the emergency of cream that, the following morning, will give the "emergency" butter. The following morning, at seven, the second milk part arrives and it is immediately poured in the double bottoms to which the emergency tank milk is to be added. Cooking starts now and it lasts, according to the milk features (and this shows the experience of the dairyman), from 20 to 30 minutes at temperature of approximately 60 degrees. When the milk has reached the right temperature, the natural rennet is added and when the curd has been formed it is possible to "cut" it (this breaking will determine, by consequence, the cheese granule size). At the end of breaking it is necessary to press with the suitable "rammer" to push the curd towards the boiler bottom which shows a mould. The mould is then recovered with a tensioned cloth between two sticks and then you will level it to divide it into two pieces that make up the normal shape of 30/35 kg. The block which is still oval is deposited in wooden "moulds" (which can be also in aluminium with many holes that will determine the shape) and above these a cement block weighing 25/30 kg will press everything. From here, the cheese will be salted as it is for 20/30 days and afterwards it is preserved in the warehouse with the suitable conditioning to adjust the seasoning duration. On the shape, the date and signature of the dairyman are traditionally written with ink. With 10 quintals of milks (capacity of the double bottoms) you can obtain 65/70 kg of Parmesan cheese and 10/11 kg of butter.
Typical Production Area:
Province of Reggio Emilia - Parma |
For visits to cheese factories please contact:
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano - phone 0039.522.307741 - via Kennedy 18 - 42100 Reggio Emilia - e-mail: sezionere@parmigiano-reggiano.it
phone 0039.522.506160 - fax 0039.522.506159
List of some cheese factories:
LATTERIA COOP.VA DI VILLA CURTA
VIA MONTAGNANI, 19 - SAN MAURIZIO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/551819
COLLA S.P.A. - CASEIFICIO 700
VIA G.B.VICO, 61 - CELLA
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/941109
LATTERIA SOCIALE DUE MADONNE
VIA A.LINCOLN, 3
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0522/512151
CAS. SOC. SAN MAURIZIO SOC COOP
VIA PASTEUR, 20
42029 SAN MAURIZIO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/552476
ANTICO CASEIFICIO TRICOLORE
VIA GOBELLINO, 23/1
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/340152
COOP. LA NUOVA VILLA MASSENZATICO
VIA BEETHOVEN, 131
42010 MASSENZATICO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/950551
LATTERIA SOCIALE RONCADELLA
VIA FORLANINI, 2 VILLA RONCADELLA
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/340250
C.V.P.A.R.R. SOC. COOP. AGRICOLA
VIA F.LLI ROSSELLI, 41/2
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/294655
LATTERIA SOC. CENTRO DI VILLA SESSO
VIA MISELLI, 4
SESSO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/531233
LATTERIA AGRICOLTORI RONCOCESI
VIA CARLO MARX, 24 - RONCOCESI
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/919902
LATTERIA SOCIALE CENTRO RUBBIANINO
VIA FREDDI, 398 - SAN BARTOLOMEO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/371475
CASEIFICIO SANTA CATERINA
VIA G.B. VICO, 6O - VILLA CELLA
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/941393
LATTERIA SOCIALE VIA EMILIA
VIA OSPEDALETTO, 4 - VILLA BAGNO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/342225
LATTERIA COOPERATIVA LA NUOVA
VIA BAGNOLI, 13 - BAGNO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/343198
CASEIFICIO DI GAVASSETO
VIA SAGACIO MUTI, 2 - GAVASSETO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone 0039 0522/344420
CAS. SOC. FOGLIANO GIAROLA SABBIONE
Via E. Fermi, 59 - FOGLIANO
REGGIO EMILIA (RE)
Phone0039 0522/520098
LATTERIA SOCIALE CENTRO SAN FAUSTINO SCRL
VIA LUDWIG VAN BEETHOVEN, 1 (GAVASSA)
REGGIO EMILIA
Phone 0039 0522512523
The Parmesan cheese is a cheese with a strong and exclusive taste; it is unreplaceable to enhance the taste, flavour and fragrance of first course and many second course dishes. It is exquisite with aperitifs, fruits and salads.
RICE WITH PARMESAN CHEESE (for 6 persons)
Ingredients:
400 g. of rice
150 g. of butter
100/150 g. of grated Parmesan cheese
1 onion - broth - salt - cream
Finely cut the onion and fry it in 100 g. of melted butter.
Add the rice, make it flavour for some minutes then continue to cook it adding - step by step - the hot broth. At half cooking time, pour the cream. Before serving, add - not on the flame - the remaining butter and the Parmesan cheese.
Tools.
The traditional tools can be seen at the museums of rural civilisation and at the dairies on the territory. In particular: the "museo della civiltà contadina e artigianale della Val d'Enza" (via Copellini, 13 - Villa Aiola - Montecchio Emilia - tel. 0039-522-871271) preserves objects and working tools of the rural world with special reference to the production of parmesan cheese. Near the museum it is possible to visit two historical castles for the processing of cheese. One dates back to the XVIII century, while the other is more recent. The "museo dell'agricoltura e della civiltà contadina" (c/o Rocca Estense, corso Umberto I°, San Martino in Rio, phone 0039/522/636726-636720) contains a section devoted to dairies and dairy techniques.
The Parmesan cheese has ancient roots: The first news on it date back to the Roman Empire. Marziale, Columella and Varrone mention it. The most precise mention dates back to the year 1350 and is supplied by Boccaccio in its "Decamerone" when he describes its use in garnishing maccaroni and ravioli. Sources date its birth in the mean valley of Enza in the territory included between Reggio Emilia and Parma. Today, like in the past, the necessary ingredients for its preparation are natural and simple: The milk of the typical area, curd, the big experience of dairymen and seasoning. This cheese is so typical also because of very special environmental factors included in a small production area (soil, air, water, cow diet) and the special artisan production which has remained unchanged in the years. From the quality point of view, the Parmesan cheese offers guarantees that no other product can give because any sophistication (even the smallest one) or use of differents methods from the traditional ones could cause a diminishment of the product itself that would not be anyway worth of the Parmesan cheese denomination. The cheese has a high nutritional value: 1 hectogram is equal, in terms of protein content, to 160 g. of ham, 210 g of beef meat, 300 g of trout. Studies on the digestibility have shown that to digest 1 hectogram of Parmesan cheese, you need 40 minutes against approximately 3 hours and a half which are necessary to digest the same quantity of the beef meat.
Last update: 21/11/2010
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