Parmesan

Parmesan is a hard cheese.

It comes from cow's milk. People make it in Italy. Some call it the king of cheeses.

Making it takes a long time. The cheese must age for one year.

Workers check each big wheel. They tap it with a small hammer.

This helps them find cracks. If it sounds good, it is ready. People love to eat it. They grate it over pasta or soup. It is a tasty treat!

Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, grainy cheese from Italy.

People call it the "king of cheeses." It is made from cow's milk. To make it, workers mix milk in large copper vats. They add salt and let the milk curdle. The cheese is shaped into large wheels. Each wheel must age for at least 12 months. Some wheels age for two years or more.

Special experts check the cheese as it ages. They tap each wheel with a small hammer. This helps them find cracks inside the wheel. If the cheese is perfect, it gets a special seal. This seal proves it is the real thing. This is important because many people make fake versions. In the European Union, only real Parmigiano Reggiano can use its name. People love to eat it. They grate it over pasta, soups, or salads. You can even simmer the hard crust in broth to add flavor.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, grainy cheese from Italy.

Many people call it the "king of cheeses." It is made from cow's milk. This cheese is very special to the people of Italy. It has a sharp and savory taste. People love to grate it over pasta or stir it into soups. You can even simmer the hard crust in a broth to add flavor. This cheese is important to many workers and families.

Making this cheese is a careful, step-by-step job. First, workers mix morning milk with the previous evening's milk. They pump this mixture into large copper vats. They add a starter and calf rennet to make the milk curdle. After about an hour, they collect the curd and put it into molds. The curd is shaped into a round wheel using a metal form. Then, the wheels sit in a salt bath for about 25 days.

This cheese has a very long history in Italy. Legend says it was created during the Middle Ages in Bibbiano. The earliest written record of the cheese is from the year 1254.

A famous writer named Boccaccio wrote about it in 1348. He even imagined a whole mountain made of grated cheese! In 1666, Samuel Pepys buried his cheese to keep it safe during a big fire. Even though ways of making food change, the cheese has stayed hard and grainy for hundreds of years.

There are many important facts about how much is made. Every year, about 3.6 million wheels are produced.

This uses about 18% of all the milk made in Italy. The cheese must age for at least 12 months. Some wheels age for two years or more. After aging, experts called "casari" check the wheels. They tap each wheel with a small hammer to listen for cracks.

If the cheese is perfect, it gets a special heat-branded logo.

Because this cheese is so famous, there are strict rules to protect it. In the European Union, only real Parmigiano Reggiano can use its name. This is called a protected designation of origin. Outside of Europe, the name "Parmesan" is often used for imitations. In the United States, 90% of cheese labeled as parmesan is actually made locally.

The Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano helps protect these traditions. They even celebrate "Parmigiano Reggiano Day" on October 27. This day honors the hard work of the people who make it.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a hard, granular cheese made from cow's milk.

It is often called the "king of cheeses" because of its high quality. In the European Union, the name is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). This means only cheese made in specific areas of Italy can use the name. These areas include the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia.

Production also happens in parts of Modena, Bologna, and Mantua. This legal protection ensures that the cheese follows strict traditional methods. Outside of the European Union, the term "Parmesan" is often used for local imitations.

The production process is a precise series of chemical and physical steps. It begins with unpasteurized cow's milk. Workers mix the whole milk from the morning milking with naturally skimmed milk from the previous evening. This mixture goes into copper-lined vats. The copper helps heat the milk evenly and adds copper ions to the mix.

Next, workers add starter whey containing thermophilic lactic acid bacteria. They raise the temperature to 37°C and add calf rennet. The mixture curdles in 10 to 12 minutes. The curd is then broken into small pieces the size of rice grains. After the temperature rises to 55°C, the curd settles for 45 to 60 minutes.

Once the curd is ready, it is collected in muslin and placed into molds. Each vat holds about 560 liters of milk to create two cheeses. The initial weight of each wheel is approximately 40 kilograms. The cheese is held in a stainless steel form by a spring-powered buckle. After a few days, the buckle is replaced by a plastic belt. This belt imprints the cheese with the plant number and production date. The wheels then enter a brine bath for 20 to 25 days. During this time, they absorb salt from Mediterranean sea salt to season the cheese.

After brining, the wheels move to aging rooms for at least 12 months. Many wheels age for an average of two years. They are stored on wooden shelves that can be 24 levels high. Workers must clean the cheese and turn the wheels every seven days. At the 12-month mark, the Consortium of Parmigiano Reggiano inspects the wheels. Master graders, known as *casari*, use a small hammer to tap each wheel. This test, which takes about seven seconds, helps them listen for internal cracks or voids. Wheels that pass perfectly receive a heat-branded "s" logo on the rind.

This cheese has a deep history stretching back many centuries. Legend says it was created during the Middle Ages in Bibbiano. The earliest written record of the cheese dates to 1254. In 1348, the writer Boccaccio described a mythical mountain made of grated Parmesan.

Later, in 1666, Samuel Pepys recorded burying his Parmesan to protect it during the Great Fire of London. While industrialization has changed some production methods, the cheese remains dry, hard, and grainy. These sensory traits have been consistent since at least the 15th century.

The industry is a massive part of the Italian economy. Every year, producers create about 3.6 million wheels.

This represents roughly 137,000 metric tons of cheese. This production uses about 18% of all the milk produced in Italy. The workforce is also diverse. In 2015, 60 percent of the workers in the industry were immigrants from India, mostly Sikhs. Their labor is essential to maintaining the traditional production standards used by locals.

Because of its value, Parmigiano Reggiano faces unique challenges. It has been targeted by organized crime groups like the Mafia. These groups have hijacked delivery trucks to steal large quantities of cheese. Between 2013 and 2015, a gang stole 2,039 wheels from warehouses. Despite these struggles, the cheese remains a vital cultural symbol. Some banks even accept wheels of Parmesan as collateral for loans. October 27 is celebrated as "Parmigiano Reggiano Day" to honor the industry and its resilience.