The Big Wheel In Parma

Parma

We woke up early to catch the train out of Rimini up to Parma where our guide for the morning, Giovanna, was waiting for us at the station. Our hosts at Emilia-Romagna Tourism had really pulled some strings for us and had planned a very exciting day.
Thanks to the generosity of the Consorzio Produttori Latte of Parma, Giovanna was taking us to one of Parma’s largest Parmigiano Reggiano producers to see what it takes to make Italy’s most famous cheese.

Centuries of craftsmanship

Unfortunately, the actual forming of the day’s cheese was done earlier in the morning but we would get to see every other step of the process, which has been perfected over centuries of craftsmanship since the year 1200.
First off it is important to know that Parmigiano Reggiano is made using only three ingredients; milk, salt and rennet. Milk is the key to this cheese and nowhere in the world are they as fussy about the quality of their milk. The cows of the region are allowed to eat only locally grown hay, harvested four times per year, and natural vegetable feed. Silage or any type of fermented feed or by-product of the food industry is strictly forbidden. Over a quarter of a million cows in the region are milked twice a day and the milk must be delivered to the cheese house within two hours of each milking. The milk will be used just as it comes from the cows without any treatment or additives. About 600 litres of this precious milk will be used to make one wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano. The milk from the evening milking is placed in large stainless basins where the cream will rise to the top naturally overnight and then be skimmed by hand the following morning. The next day the cheesemaker drains the skimmed milk with the whole milk from the morning milking into a huge copper cauldron.

Two wheels of cheese

Each cauldron will produce two wheels of cheese, this particular factory had at least ten. The milk is then warmed up and a natural starter, made from the whey of the cheese making process from the previous day, is added.
Next, the rennet, a natural enzyme from the stomach of suckling calves, is introduced, which causes the milk to curdle. The curd is then broken down into pieces the size of a grain of rice using a “spino” (huge balloon whisk). Now comes the tricky part, cooking the curd to expel water from the granules, the cheese master, with generations of experience, knows exactly when to shut off the heat. Once the heat is off the fine curd will sink to the bottom of the cauldron forming a tight mass. The mass is then lifted from the bottom of the cauldron and divided to make two wheels of cheese.

Fascera

The cheese mass is placed in a form called a “fascera” where it is left to rest for 3 days. The next step is to apply the marks of origin, with a casein disk applied to the top, each individual wheel is identified by its own alphanumeric code. The repeating words Parmigiano Reggiano in a pin dot pattern along with the number of the cheese house and the date of production are embossed around the rind of the wheel using a flexible stamp that is fitted between the cheese and the second mould.

These unique marks of origin are what assure you are getting real Parmigiano Reggiano.

The next process is the soaking of the wheels in huge tanks of brine (water and natural salt) for about 17 to 20 days.

Brining the cheese

The brining allows the cheese to absorb the correct amount of salt for its flavour and long ageing. The cheese is now ready for ageing and will do so for a minimum of twelve months, which makes it the longest aged cheese in the world. After twelve months, the cheese is inspected by an expert for its structure, appearance and overall characteristics. If the cheese passes inspection it is branded with an oval mark reading “Parmigiano-Reggiano Consorzio Tutela” with the year of production.

The cheese may then be aged for 24 months or more. Wheels not suitable for further ageing are grooved around their circumference, marking them as “Mezzano” and are suitable to be eaten young.

After 18 months

After 18 months the cheese can be re-evaluated for a further certification marking them as “Extra”, guaranteeing superior quality. Through the course of its ageing, the cheese undergoes an amazing transformation converting almost all of the lactic acid into proteins, creating a cheese that is full of nutrition (with the lowest cholesterol of any cheese) and highly digestible. Cracking a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is done with as much finesse as actually creating the cheese. After all that work you don’t want to just saw the cheese up but crack it along its natural lines. I was lucky enough to be able to crack open a whole wheel of cheese that was made in 2010 and then sample the freshest possible pieces from within. The process starts with a set of five speciality knives.

Cracking the wheel

The first is a knife that is hooked and allows you to score through the rind around the circumference of the wheel. Then you start the process of inserting the other four knives. Once scored, two spade shaped knives and two longer more squared knives are inserted about half way in at North, South, East and West positioning. They are then removed one at a time and moved between the last two insertion points, again about halfway in. With the knives in place, you can now push them all the way into the wheel and start to feel it crack along its own natural fault lines, sometimes waiting a minute or two for the actual cracking to occur. Once cracked, you can remove the top half of the wheel to expose the gorgeous cheese inside with an unbelievable smell and texture, the cheese could not taste any fresher or more delicious.

Eaten as a table cheese

In Italy, Parmigiano Reggiano is not just grated over pasta but eaten as a table cheese in nuggets, shaved over salads in curls or paired with fresh fruit and balsamic vinegar for dessert. It is known as one of the most versatile cheeses and has earned that respect amongst chefs the world over. With our morning coming to an end at the cheese house, we made our way to the small shop displaying huge chunks of Parmigiano Reggiano and an assortment of other local food products.

A couple blocks 

We left with a couple of blocks of 24 and 36 month aged cheese and some of their wonderful butter made from the cream they skim from the evening milking. Sitting down to lunch we agreed that we had enjoyed quite a morning seeing the process of the world’s most famous cheese being handmade (not produced!) and getting the rare opportunity to crack a whole wheel. We took the time to film Tim in action, cracking a wheel. Watch the mouth-watering video:

Join us for our next post where we are whisked away from lunch to visit one of Parma’s largest Prosciutto producers.
Below are a few ways we enjoy Parmigiano Reggiano other than grating it generously over pasta.
– shaved over cooked asparagus
– in scrambled eggs
– mixed with bread crumbs and used as a crust for fish or meat
– with strawberries and balsamic
– grated over a minestrone soup
How do you enjoy Parmigiano Reggiano?

*We were in Parma as part of Blogville Emilia-Romagna for more information please visit their website. The opinions in this post are our own.