Parmigiano Reggiano (PDO)

What is Parmigiano Reggiano (PDO)?

Produced exclusively by raw milk from cattle grazing on the local grasslands and hillsides of northern Italy, Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard cheese praised for its unparalleled natural umami flavour. Unrelentingly intricate in taste, it opens with tones of roasted almonds and dashes of brown butter, followed by a sharp and salty aftertaste to finish. Caressing your palate in a mellow sensation, it instantly draws you nearer with its complex flavors and textures.

Exemplifying simplicity, while still offering a great variety of flavor and aroma, Parmigiano Reggiano simply stands above the rest.

How Parmigiano Reggiano (PDO) is made

The art of making Parmigiano Reggiano is one of tradition and feel, making each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano a testament to pure artisanship and skill. 

Raw milk, poured down traditional copper vats, is blended with a complex of enzymes known as rennet that help develop the milk. Temperature is kept at 55° Celsius, eventually producing a firm curd that is then cut to size and placed in wheel-shaped molds. Before being stored to age, the curd is sat in brine for two weeks, halting the process of lactose being converted to lactic acid. The wheels are then arranged on wooden shelves, where workers carefully tend them every ten days. Finally, after a minimum of one year of aging, the smooth curd has turned solid and granular, producing a perfect wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano.

With the ingredients almost being entirely unpasteurized raw milk, the result is a gluten-free, pure cheese without any additives or preservatives. The addition of rennet however, makes true Parmigiano Reggiano unsuitable for vegetarians.