Parmigiano Reggiano DOP

Parmigiano Reggiano DOP

Parmesan cheese is the most counterfeit cheese in the world, and at the same time the most difficult to imitate, and not only because it is great to eat or for its nutritional advantages, but mainly because its preparation is so complex as to make it unique. This is how Parmigiano Reggiano was born, in a journey that starts from milk to get to form.

THE MILK. As with any cheese, it always starts with the milk of the evening milking, which is poured into special wide and low containers that are called reapers. It is left to rest all night so that the next day a surface of cream will be formed, that is, the fattest part of the liquid. After one night the whole milk becomes skim milk and transferred to the boilers. The milk is transformed and parmesan cheese is born, although it is still in a liquid state. 

Heating. Once in the boilers, the milk is heated slowly and during this stage the grafting serum is added, bones a substance rich in live lactic ferments obtained from the milk processing serum of the previous day. Once the milk has reached the temperature of 30 degrees Celsius, the rennet is added and then the mixing takes place, then let the contents rest for 10 minutes for the coaugulation to take place. 

SPINATURA. The curdled milk is checked to see if the density of the coaugulo is ideona in order to spin it. This term refers to the action that is carried out to reduce it into many small granules with the strumnto appete called spino. The operation ends when all the microgranules have reached the same size as the size of a grain of rice. 

Cooking. It brings the contents to 55 degrees C to make the granules lose moisture. In fact, the microgranules settle at the bottom of the boiler and are left to rest for about 50 minutes until the mass is compact and can be extracted. After 50 minutes the dairywoman extracts the caseous mass with a wooden shovel and wraps it in a linen canvas. This mass is cut into parts and each of being is placed in a mold called Fascera. In this way two forms of Parmigiano Reggiano are born, which are turned twice changing the canvas to lose the moisture, on the third lap the canvas is removed and inserted the plastic band released by the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano. 

Salting. The following day the shapes are transformed to give it the characteristic domed shape. For about 20 days the forms remain immersed in a solution saturated with cooking salt and water, in this way the salting takes place by absorption. After the salting ends the production part. 

Seasoning. At the end of the production part, which lasted about a mes, begins the period of aging, during which the forms are placed to mature on the wooden planks of the aging warehouse in which the temperature and humidity are kept constantly under Control. The rest period lasts at least one year and during this period the control, the turning and brushing of the forms takes place every day.”