A cheese that made its mark on history

The production methods of Parmigiano Reggiano are the same since it was first made in the Middle Ages by Benedictine and Cistercian monks. They used the salt from the Salsomaggiore salt mines and the milk of the cows bred on their farms to produce a dry paste cheese, naturally and without any additives, in large wheels that were suitable for long preservation.

It was a simple beginning, based on using easily available natural foodstuffs, with local salt enhancing the rich milk produced by cows fed on regional forage, grass and hay. More than 1,000 years later, these ancient methods still resonate in a world where food provenance and purity become ever-more important, irrespective of fast foods and ultra-processed meals full of preservatives and colourings.

Many processing methods have proved useful over the years, with pickling, smoking, pasteurising and fermentation ensuring our ancestors still managed a balanced diet throughout winter. However, there are rising concerns around the health issues, which some studies are now linking to diets heavy in ultra-processed foods, with advice to keep foods as natural and seasonal as possible. Probiotics are actively promoted as having various health benefits, and healthy bacteria has now become an intrinsic part of a well-balanced diet.

Science has played a large part in these studies, and interestingly, the traditional methods of producing Parmigiano Reggiano would pass muster in any lab examining provenance. The area of origin is vital in producing Parmigiano Reggiano – exclusively the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the left of the Reno river, and Mantua to the right of the Po river. It has been protected from any confusion with other similar cheeses since the 17th century, when the Duke of Parma, Ranuccio I Farnese, made the designation of origin official with a deed dated 7 August 1612, which defined where the cheese called “from Parma” should come from.

This is where the science backs these ingenious monks from all those years ago, as the microbiological characteristic of the milk used to make the cheese simply can’t be improved upon. This milk is only produced by farms in the designated area – almost 2,400 of them – and is characterised by the unique intense bacterial activity of the indigenous microbial flora. It remains unchanged by modernity and the local forage, grass and hay constitute the main feed of the cows, with feeding complying with a strict specification banning the use of silage, fermented feeds and animal flour.

There are regular controls carried out on the milk to maintain the high quality and special characteristics which allow Parmigiano Reggiano to continue to be a purely natural product. It is completely without additives or preservatives, constantly benefitting from the great biodiversity of the meadows that are the source of this very special milk.

This protected environment inspires the unique qualities of Parmigiano Reggiano and there are no external interventions, such as adding enzymes or bacteria selected in a lab, to modify bacterial activity. During processing, only the cheese master, with his special skills and expertise, works with the lactic bacteria needed for positive lactic fermentations to produce these splendid wheels of cheese, which are then immersed in a saturated solution of water and salt before maturing.

The minimum maturation time is 12 months, the longest time among all the Protected Designation of Origin cheeses, and at this point it’s decided if each individual wheel is worthy of the name given at its birth, and therefore continue the maturation up to 24, 36, 40 months and more. Authentic, pure and traditional, this low-waste cheese has an edible rind, with no wax used to cover the outside, so it’s commonly used in cooking as an alternative to a stock cube. The differing maturation stages and subtle variety of tastes also ensure it’s as perfect for starters, main meals and desserts as it is on the traditional cheese board.

Discover more at parmigianoreggiano.com