What It Takes to Be
Parmigiano-Reggiano
- Milk and cheese production may occur in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the west of the Reno River, and Mantua to the east of the Po River.
- Cows are milked twice each day, and milk is taken to the cheese house within two hours of milking.
- Milk is exclusively grass- and hay-fed. No silage is permitted.
- Milk may never be pasteurized.
- 363 dairies (caseifici) make cheese from the milk of 3,348 producers.
- Evening milk sits unrefrigerated overnight, allowing the cream to separate, after which it is partially skimmed.
- This partly skimmed milk is then added to full-fat morning milk.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano is made in a copper vat.
- Natural whey starters are used for acidification.
- The curd is coagulated, stirred and broken into tiny granules before being cooked.
- Each vat produces two wheels of cheese, the curds of which are gathered by hand in cheesecloth.
- Each cheese is immersed in brine for 20 days.
- The curds are never pressed.
- Wheels are open-air aged on wooden boards.
- Wheels are graded at 12 months. Those not suitable for aging to the typical 24 months are marked with parallel grooves and classified mezzano.
- At the request of a producer, a second inspection may occur at 18 months for additional certification. Wheels meeting higher standards may be branded “extra” or “export.”
- A red seal indicates a wheel matured for over 18 months.
- A silver seal indicates a wheel matured for over 22 months.
- A gold seal indicates a wheel matured for over 30 months.
