Legends from Europe Series #1

Parmigiano Reggiano®
Handmade. Seasonal subtleties.
Three ingredients. Quality focused.
Authentically European.

HAND MADE IN A SPECIAL PLACE
Parmigiano Reggiano® cheese is made one wheel at a time
by cheese makers dedicated to their craft. Nine centuries of
collective wisdom, combined with exceptional milk from the
cheese-making zone, result in a world-famous food produced
exclusively in five northern Italian provinces, Parma, Reggio-
Emilia, Modena and parts of Mantua and Bologna. Here,
the climate, soil and natural flora encourage the growth of
high-quality grasses essential to the diet of the cows that
produce the nutrient-dense milk used in Parmigiano Reggiano.

SEASONAL CYCLE
Linked intimately to its place of origin, Parmigiano Reggiano
is noted for flavors that reflect the seasons and what the cows
are eating. Spring cheeses, produced when pastures are filled
with wildflowers, fill the mouth with complex herbal and bright
milky sensations. In summer, newly formed wheels “sweat off”
butterfat in their ambient-temperature aging rooms, resulting
in cheeses that are drier and full of flavor — perfect for grating.
Fall cheeses have a higher protein content, making them
especially suitable for long aging and bringing out nutty,
caramelized and buttery flavors. The cows’ dry hay diet in
winter produces Parmigiano Reggiano that carries tropical
fruit aromas.

JUST THREE INGREDIENTS
Every wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano combines raw, partially
skimmed milk from the evening milking with the following
morning’s whole milk. Once natural whey starter and rennet
are added, the resulting curd is broken by a long-handled whisk
into fragments the size of wheat grains. After cooking, the mass
is divided into “twins” that are drained and packed in molds.
Attached to each is a special casein plaque with a data matrix
providing complete traceability. A stamp wrapped around the
new wheel impresses it with distinctive pin-dot certification
marks spelling out the words “Parmigiano Reggiano.” Later,
the wheels are slipped into tanks filled with sea salt and water,
which flavor the cheese and set the rind. Nothing could be
simpler or more natural than this cheese, made without
additives or preservatives and with just three ingredients —
milk, salt, rennet.

EARNING CREDENTIALS FOR QUALITY
Production and certification processes follow standards set by
Italian law and enforced by Italy’s oldest producers’ association,
the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, established
in 1934. Experts test each wheel after one year and those
that pass their rigorous inspection are fire branded with the
prestigious oval “Consorzio Tutela Parmigiano Reggiano”
certification mark. The wheels return to the aging houses where
the vast majority are aged to a full 24 months of maturity, or
even longer. Cheeses judged exceptional receive the “Export”
or “Extra” firebrand. In addition to these marks of quality, the
European Union long ago designated Parmigiano Reggiano as a
Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) product.

LIFELONG NUTRITION SOURCE
Parmigiano Reggiano is recommended by many Italian
pediatricians as a “first food” for babies: a lactose-free, easily
digestible and tasty source of protein and vitamins. The cheese’s
rich calcium content benefits growing children by building
strong bones and helps adults (especially women) minimize
bone loss as they age. That’s why Parmigiano Reggiano is
orbiting the earth as part of the International Space Station
crew’s official diet; 100 grams daily helps prevent bone loss.
Athletes depend on a chunk of Parmigiano Reggiano for a quick
and satisfying energy boost — and, for the same reason, it’s
an ideal between-meal snack for anyone. Grated, Parmigiano
Reggiano not only lends savory flavor to pastas, pizzas, sauces
and other dishes, but is also a superb table cheese.   •