|
Parmigiano Reggiano Organico
Tracing Parmigiano-Reggiano's
history back seven hundred years to 1344, the first recoded reference to the
famous Italian cheese is in a purchasing ledger for a Florentine Prior's
Refectory. That comes as no real surprise given that the monks of Emilia-Romagna
were long experimenting with cheesemaking, including double-heating the milk to
produce Parmigiano-Reggiano's signature pasty consistency that would eventually
harden into dense drums. Far more intriguing is the second oldest reference to
the cheese found in Giovanni Bocaccio's 1353 masterpiece, The Decameron.
Through Bocaccio's work, we can learn about life in medieval Italy, including
how they ate: "and there was a whole mountain of Parmigiano cheese, all finely
grated, on top of which stood people who were doing nothing but making macaroni
and ravioli."
Claims have been made -- and not
challenged -- that Parmigiano-Reggiano has been made according to the same
recipe for over eight hundred years. Real Parmigiano-Reggiano can be made only
in specific regions from mid-April to mid-November. This ensures that the milk
used comes from cows who were pastured on fresh local grass. The cheese is hard,
grateable, and sometimes crunchy with deep, rich flavors, which heighten any
food it graces.
The milk from this Parmesan comes from the Bruna Alpina and Rossa Reggiana breed of cows.
Certified organic by Suelo e Salute s.r.l. (ITASS)
|
