An unmistakeable shape. A flavour with a long history.

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO: it is the Parma Food Valley that makes it so special

It’s one of the oldest cheeses in the world, the secrets of its production are handed down from generation to generation and are inextricably linked to the area of origin: Parmigiano Reggiano is one of the jewels of the Parma Food Valley.

All this makes Parmigiano Reggiano PDO a special, inimitable product.

Its history began a thousand years ago in medieval monasteries, at a time when Cistercian and Benedictine monks were looking for a cheese that would last for a long time and be easy to preserve.  Its unmistakable taste conquered everyone from the start, and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO began its travels from city to city, sold by merchants throughout Italy.

Despite being appreciated and imitated all over the world, the real Parmigiano Reggiano PDO can only be produced in its area of origin, which includes the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua to the right of the Po River, and Bologna to the left of the Reno River.

Only here can the dairy cows find the ideal forage for the production of this ancient cheese. Their milk is characterized by an intense bacterial activity that, in the expert hands of the master cheesemaker, makes Parmigiano Reggiano PDO unique and impossible to replicate elsewhere.

It is made with only three ingredients: milk, salt and rennet. However, a fourth ingredient is needed to obtain such a good and genuine product: patience. The minimum maturation period is 14 months, but it is at around 24 months that Parmigiano Reggiano PDO reaches its peak in terms of taste and goodness. It can continue to mature even beyond 48 months, revealing unexplored aromas and flavours.

Before being put on the market, each wheel is thoroughly inspected by the “battitore” (tapper). He is responsible for visiting all the dairies associated with the Consortium and checking the wheels. First, the tapper examines the rind, then he taps the entire surface with a small hammer: by interpreting the sound produced by each tap, the expert “battitore” can actually visualize what is inside.  For example, a "full" sound will indicate that the wheel is not yet ready or may have a flaw. 

Being able to recognize the perfect Parmigiano wheel is a real vocation, whose secrets are passed down orally from generation to generation. This is why the tappers of the Parmigiano Reggiano PDO Consortium are very few in number: about 20 in total.