The small city of Parma , Italy’s gourmet epicenter produces two of the world’s most recognizable and coveted food stuffs; Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Prosciutto di Parma, Italy’s beloved cured ham. Under Italian law, these products can only be made in this one spot which it has been doing for the last 800 years.
The wheels are nearly a foot thick and weigh almost 90 pounds and are stacked by the thousands on wooden shelves, often up to 25 shelves high. The product is so valuable, a single wheel has a street value of thousands of dollars, whereby theft has been a historical problem. It is the single most shoplifted food product in Italy.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is made with milk that has been out of the cow for less than 18 hours. From the time a calf grazes, every single step of cheese production is strictly enforced by a mini army of inspectors. For this reason, it is considered the “King of Cheeses”. Besides the pure milk and rennet, the only other ingredient allowed is salt. this purity is one reason its health benefits are legendary. In Italy, it is prescribed by doctors as the first thing for babies to eat when weaned off mothers’ milk
The countryside around Parma is mountainous. By law these pastures cannot be chemically fertilized or planted with new types of crops. Some 4,000 head strong, every single one of their cows are numbered, monitored, and accounted for. They can only eat natural grass from spring to fall. In winter, they dine only on dried hay from the same fields. After aging, which is about 24 months, the cheese then must pass an inspection by a Consorzio, an Italian official. Sometimes if the cheese is developing correctly but slowly, it is sent back to the shelves for additional aging. If the cheese passes with flying colors, it is awarded a hologram and can be sold based on its final age.
Here in the United States, the cattle industry is quite different than in Italy. Cows are fed a silage; (not natural grass) which is a wet feed made by the fermentation of various grains, cereal, corn and various grass. The USFDA also allows antibiotics and bovine growth hormones, a process widely used to foster fast and cheap growth for a quicker profit. Because of its long term harmful affects to human health, it is expressly forbidden and even outlawed in many European countries and especially in Italy
In early 2016, the FDA showed that Parmesan fraud has become a very serious problem for American consumers by producing blatant counterfeits. Their tests showed that products described as 100% Parmesan are routinely cut with cheaper products and wood pulp, better known as cellulose, clearly printed on the label. Bloomberg News stated that 40% of so-called grated Parmesan cheese is not even real cheese at all.
The Italian Diva's Shopping Tip: Most of the fakery surrounding the king of cheese has to do with the misleading use of the word “Parmesan”; Never buy prepackaged cheese or shredded cheese or bottled cheese that says "Parmesan".. Those cheeses contain wood chips aka cellulose. And corn starch which you pay for. Only buy from the block or wheel and look for the full Italian name, Parmigiana Reggiano and Made in Italy and has the PDO seal – then you have the real deal. The cost will run between $17-$22 , but oh so worth it.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is best enjoyed fresh therefore, it is important to keep it from exposure to air. And even when you buy the real thing in supermarkets, it is often dried out. Vacuum sealing ensures that each time you open a wedge it’ll be like cutting into a new wheel. Once opened this Italian Diva takes great care to meticulously double wrap it tightly in plastic between servings to help preserve the grainy crunch factor and underlying creaminess. For a special treat as in Italy, take a piece and dip it into a quality balsamic vinegar. Yum!
In recipes that call for grated cheese, you will notice that in all my recipes I always use imported Parmigiano-Reggiano. There is just no other substitute. As my mother would say, “if you're going to put the labor into it, why not use the best ingredients”
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