Around the 12th century, in the Emilia region, Cistercian and Benedictine monks began processing milk in large cauldrons to make a hard cheese. With only 30% water, Parmigiano Reggiano is a cheese rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals. Parmesan, which is not produced outside of Italy, is therefore an expensive cheese unique to that region.
Production: Milk as a unique and essential element. The nobility of this ancient art, which embodies a history of over a thousand years, is based on an intact ritual. The milk from the morning and the previous evening is poured into the traditional, upside-down, bell-shaped copper boilers. About 550 litres of milk are needed for each round of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The curdling of the milk occurs slowly and naturally, thanks to the addition of rennet and whey, residues of the previous cheese making, and rich in natural milk enzymes. The curd is broken up by the skilful dexterity of master dairyman into tiny grains, with the aid of an ancient tool, a kind of whisk called a “spino”. However, it is the heat that, at the precise temperature of 55 degrees centigrade, induces the precipitation of the curd grains to the bottom, where they start to form a single mass. After approximately 50 minutes, the cheesemaker extracts the cheese mass, cuts it into two parts, and wraps them in a traditional natural fibre cloth. The cheese is, finally, placed within a mould, which gives it its final shape.