Italian Food Lovers

So, we’ve talked a bit about how Prosciutti are made, in general, but now let’s get down to specifics.
Let’s examine the detailed 10 step process of preparing Prosciutto di Parma from start (oink oink!) to finish (yum yum).

As a side note, Academia Barilla maintains an excellent photo gallery of actual Prosciutto di Parma production – it is a great companion to this narrative.

Step one: “Materia Prima” –
Legs from quality pigs grown in the region of Parma (from only about 14 different towns), and grown in accordance with the strict guidelines of the Consorzio, arrive at the processing location to become DOP Prosciutto di Parma.
Over the next approximately 20 months they will undergo the following nine steps until they emerge as a finished, delectable Italian gourmet food product!

Step two: Cooling –
So that the legs can be properly processed, they are refrigerated at or around 34 degrees Fahrenheit, usually for over 24 hours, so that the raw meat becomes firm.

Step three: Cleaning and Trimming –
Next, a butcher carefully cuts away excess fat and skin from the leg, leaving the quality meat and necessary fats on the bone. From this point, the intense Prosciutto production can begin.

Step four: First Salting –
Here the cleaned leg gets doused in a healthy coating of wet and dry sea salts. Wetter salts are applied to the cut, exposed area of the leg, and drier salts are applied to the skin and upper leg parts. A metal seal from the Conzorzio del Prosciutto di Parma is added to the leg at this stage.

Step five: First Resting -
The leg is then put into another refrigerated environment where it will stay at 34-36 degrees Fahrenheit and 80% humidity for 7 days. This is the first stage of the Prosciutto curing process.

Step six: Washing and Drying –
The salt from the first salting is removed and the leg is washed completely and then thoroughly dry. Keep in mind that this entire process is done by hand, so, just imagine the hours that the carefully trained Maestri del Prosciutto have already put into this process!

Step seven: Re-salting and Aging –
The next process is the Second Salting, where the leg gets introduced to another batch of salt, though this amount is less than its first encounter with salt. A little finer grind of seal salt is applied to the leg, and it is then put into an aired cave- or grotto-like structure for up to 80 days of aging at 36-40 degree temperatures and about 75% humidity. Both humidity and temperature are incredibly important to the success of the Prosciutto curing and aging.
Step eight: Another Washing, and some more Salt! –
The leg is washed and dried to remove all salt. At this point, the leg undergoes its last salting, called the Sugnatura after the mix of lard and salt that is added to the leg at this point. From here, the leg gets transported to its first curing stop, where it will remain at about 63 degrees Fahrenheit for up to 200 days.

Step nine: Inspection –
At this point, the Prosciutto is close to becoming a final product, and it is given its date with the inspector for the Consorzio, who will use a special tool (called a sonda, it is made from the shinbone of a horse!) to test the quality of the Prosciutto. If it passes the inspector’s scrupulous eye, it is given the official Brand and Seal of the Consorzio, a crown. It is now officially on its way to becoming Prosciutto di Parma.

Step ten: Final Curing –
Once the Consorzio has given its seal of approval to the leg, it is cured for an additional 12 months to ensure that the product is top notch. This final curing is done in another temperature-controlled cell. After 12 months, the product is ready for commercial sale. Academia Barilla cures its DOP Prosciutto di Parma for another 6 months, for a total of 18 months, to create a more balanced and sweeter flavor.

In my next installment, I’ll cover how to use this fantastic product in your next gourmet Italian meal.

Until then, I wish you Prosciutto-encrusted dreams, of this lovely, amazing gourmet Italian food product.

Alright, enough talk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, now let’s taste it – right from the source!
Here are some tasting guides we use in the Academia Barilla test kitchens to sample Parmigiano. Try this at home next time you open a wheel or break off a chunk.

1) Aroma – what does the cheese smell like? Break off a chunk – does the smell change?

2) Taste – insert a small chunk of cheese into your mouth and let it warm up. I usually count to about 10, and then smash the cheese on the upper roof of my mouth, being sure to let all of the flavors melt out and coat my mouth. What do you taste? Is the cheese salty, sweet, acidic, tangy, fruity or bitter?

3) Aroma, again - smell the cheese, but this time from inside your mouth. Does the back of your mouth pick up different fragrances than when you smelled it originally with your nose? Does that reflect itself in the taste of the cheese?

4) Texture – note how the texture of the cheese has changed since you originally put a chunk in your mouth. After 5 seconds, or even 10, does the cheese still hold its original form? After you smash it against the roof of your mouth, are there still smaller granules you taste?

I won’t say that what I experience in Parmigiano cheese tasting is in any way definitive, since each person’s taste is different. However, whenever I taste a perfect Parmigiano, I am reminded of the scents of Hay, as well as of the market cheese shop, and then the flavors of sweet/salty/nutty Parmigiano. I know, that’s a terrible description, but, after growing up with Parmigiano on a near-daily basis….there’s nothing quite like it in the world.

Academia Barilla has these notes, and others, in the cheese tasting guide published on AcademiaBarilla.com.

Now, if you’re planning on coming to Italy any time soon, there are a few excellent resources on where to go to see traditional Parmigiano-Reggiano production, as well as tasting of this excellent traditional Italian gourmet food product.

For all intents and purposes, the links and resources below represent only a few possible places you can look for further information about visiting casefici of Parmigiano-Reggiano in Italy. And, with the clear and distinct exception of the Academia Barilla experiences listed below, Academia Barilla makes no endorsement of any of the following links, resources, or places.

Academia Barilla – Parma, Italy

Come to Italy and learn from the best – Academia Barilla! Our expert staff will be happy to show you around the beautiful Emilia-Romagna region and take you directly to some of the locations where we make Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

In addition, we offer cooking classes to teach you the details and intricacies of this beautiful product. If you’re only in Italy for a limited time, come visit us and we’ll jam-pack your Parmigiano experience into one culinary learning vacation you’ll remember forever.
Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano – Parma, Italy, and environsThis organization is dedicated to all things Parmigiano, and has been since its inception over a century ago.It maintains lists of all of the dairies that produce Parmigiano, including Academia Barilla’s contracted dairies, and offers resources on how to get in touch with them. An excellent resource if you’re exploring Parma, Emilia-Romagna and the north-central of Italy on your own.Can’t make it to Italy? Well, luckily, Academia Barilla has your connection to the best cheeses from Italy, and you can sample traditional and authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP cheese and other Italian DOP gourmet products by simply visiting our online store.

OK, OK, so, perhaps my last post on Parmigiano-Reggiano and its production was a bit wordy… Well, you’re right, but to produce such an amazing cheese, you need a truly amazing description. And I dedicated a whole year-long blog post about it. Cosi’ e’ la vita!Nonetheless, there are so many ways to use this nutty, tasty, incredible cheese that I could post 40 times as much as I have already, and still not finish with even some of the ideas. And keeping in mind that I am not the chef around this blog, I’ve still got some ideas as to how to use Parmigiano-Reggiano in a fun way.

Massimo will surely give you more ideas as to how to use Parmigiano-Reggiano. Above all, the importance of knowing about this cheese, and its many uses, it paramount to understanding Italian culinary tradition, as well as the uses of a great traditional product.

Right now, let’s examine how to use Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese in fun and simply ways that don’t involve simply grating it onto your pasta.

RECIPE IDEA 1: Really Simple

Parmigiano + Balsamico = “Basta, that was easy!”

Here’s an age-old classic that never fails. Parmigiano-Reggiano chunks, either fresh from the wheel or just from a larger chunk, can be drizzled with aged Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena for an excellent and easy antipasto cheese plate.
Combine with a few grapes, walnuts, Anjou Pears and Braeburn Apples, and you have a gourmet picnic.

RECIPE IDEA 2: Simple

Parmigiano-Reggiano Crisps

What you’ll need: Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, grated, about one cup. Also some black pepper, or cayenne, if you’re one of the “I like it spicy” crowd.

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. On a Silpat, or any other nonstick silicone baking sheet, place a heaping tablespoon of cheese and then flatten with the back of your spoon.

Make sure there’s enough space between each cheese crisp, usually about 2-3 inches or so.

Season lightly with pepper and then bake for about 3-5 minutes, or until lightly golden brown.

Watch these carefully, as your oven could brown ‘em up a little too fast…

Serve as a delectable garnish to soups, salads, or whatever else you want.

A note about wine pairing.

Now, it is seemingly customary here in the United States to pair Parmigiano-Reggiano with Port or Zinfandel. While that pairing generally works, I encourage you, dear reader, to put down the Dow’s next time around, and think about these wine pairings.

Brunello di Montalcino – one of the king wines of Tuscany, this 100% sangiovese wine can be lovely with a hunk of stravecchio Parmigiano. Try vintages from 1997 or 2000, if you can find them for under $100 a bottle!

Colli di Parma Rosso DOC – A truly hard-to-find red wine here in the States, this DOC red made mostly of Barbera matches nearly perfectly with Parmigiano-Reggiano’s nuttiness. Why? Well, it is grown in the hills very close to where the mucche rosse reggiane graze for the milk that goes into Parmigiano. Any good, hearty Barbera from Piedmont or Northern California could do, however.

In the blogosphere, check out Catherine Granger’s useful blogpost that mentions Parmigiano (even if she spells it the “American” way, wink!) and Brunello, and describes the majority of Parmigiano uses.

Have a good wine pairing of your own? Leave a comment below!

Whether you eat it grated over a pasta dish, or into your risotto during the crematura, or simply with aged traditional Balsamic Vinegar atop it, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is one of the greatest tastes to come out of la Bella Italia.Its production is also a great thing – carried down by years of tradition and excellence. Let’s examine how true Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is made, and where exactly it comes from.

Historians first noted the nutty, granular cheese of the area between Parma and Reggio-Emilia in the region of Emilia-Romagna about a millennium ago. It is said that famed Tuscan writer Boccaccio even incorporated references to Parmigiano in his famous Decameron.

Since those days, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese has continued to capture the hearts, minds, and mouths, of many an Italian, European, and global citizen.

The DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese production of today comes from farms in a limited area between the towns of Parma and Reggio-Emilia, with a line extending out in the directions of Modena, Bologna and Mantova.

More often than not, farms in this area employ the lactic help of the Reggiana Red Cow, or mucca rossa reggiana, for the production of milk for Parmigiano. These cows must feed on grass and hay and are allows to graze the many hills in the Emilia region.

Academia Barilla is proud to select only cheeses made with latte di collina, or “milk from the hills.” This means that the Reggiana Red Cows are allowed to go to pasture in the hills and mountains of the area, and therefore are able to graze on finer grasses. In essence, Academia Barilla uses “Free range” milk for its Parmigiano-Reggiano!

Cows are milked twice a day for Parmigiano milk – once in the morning, and again in the evening. The evening milk is eventually skimmed overnight, and then is combined with full-fat milk from the morning milking to start the production of Parmigiano.

Academia Barilla’s website has a great photo gallery of a traditional cheesemaking with the latte di collina – click here to view.

Nonetheless, this load of milk is then funneled into cone-shaped tubs of about 300 gallon capacity and is warmed while rennet is added to induce coagulation. Here’s where the real artistry takes over: an Academia Barilla Maestro Caseario, “master cheesemaker”, then has his hand at the Parmigiano, and uses a technical instrument called the spino to break up the clotting milk curds into the rice-like granules that will later become hard, nutty, and perfect to grate over un bel piatto di pasta!

At this point, the curds are lifted out of the copper vat and placed to drain – from this comes the whey of Parmigiano, which also has a special use, but more on that in a later blogpost, perhaps. The curds are placed into a huge flax cloth and are cut in half to form the gemelli – twins. These twin wheels will then be shaped by hand and machine to form their wheel shape.

After a few days rest, the wheels have formed a hard outer shell and are then given an imprint of PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO, as well as a healthy dose of salt. The wheels are placed into a saline solution, a brine of sorts, for up to 30 days. This is the only preservative that Academia Barilla uses in the production of its authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese.

Last comes the aging process: Parmigiano-Reggiano has to be aged at least 12 months in order to be considered DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano. At this point, an appointed cheese-tester from the Consorzio DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano comes by to inspect each wheel of cheese. (If you think I have an OK job, you should only meet these guys! Lucky! Testing cheese for a living – whew!)

With a small hammer, the expert inspector taps the cheese, checking for cracks or imperfections. His ear is so well-tuned to the intricacies of cheese that he can sense when a cheese does not make the grade. If it does, it then may be ready for sale.

In some cases, cheeses can be left to age even further. After 18 months, Parmigiano-Reggiano gets the title “Vecchio” . Give it another few months, and, at age 2 years, or 24 months, the wheels attain “Stravecchio” status, meaning that they are extra old.

Learn more about Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, this re dei formaggi, on the Academia Barilla website.

Be sure to check out Academia Barilla’s excellent online shop, as well, where you can buy 1 kilo (2.2 pounds) chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano, or even whole traditional Parmesan wheels, perfect if you are a Chef, own a restaurant, or just throw a party with a gourmet buffet!

Alla prossima!

Ok, now you know it all about DOP and regional Denominazioni - let’s start the new year examining some of the most famous Italian DOP gourmet products: let’s begin with Parmigiano-Reggiano, the king of cheeses.

What a cheese! Parmigiano-Reggiano, the original “Parmesan”, is perhaps one of the best known cheeses in the world, right up there with Brie and Cheddar. Its origins go back to the lovely city of Parma, where, in fact, Academia Barilla happens to be headquartered. Sure, you could say that we’re a bit biased about this cheese, but, at the same time, isn’t it nice to be able to promote such a great product that’s grown right in our own backyard?

Before I jump too much into the discussions of production, uses, and proliferation of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, let me first give you some background on the lovely Emilia-Romagna region in which this great cheese is produced.

This fertile region, in the north of Italy, is based around the River Po, and is home to a large amount of verdant land, especially in the plains and valleys around the towns of Parma and Reggio Emilia. It is in the 20 miles or so between these two towns that the fantastic cheese Parmigiano-Reggiano is produced, and of course the product takes its name as such.

While Emilia-Romagna produces Parmigiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma, it is also home to the most famous Italian culinary creation: Pasta! It has a rich culinary tradition as being the bread-basket, butcher shop and pasta counter for all of Italy; the Barilla pasta company and the Barilla Group are also headquartered here, and the town of Bologna is renowned throughout the world for its incredible pasta creations.

Since Roman times, the region has been an agricultural and culinary center, as products were brought along the old Via Emilia that used to run directly from Piacenza down to Rimini on the coast, where it connected to the famous Via Flaminia that came from Rome. Nowadays, quality food products and traditional cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano are still produced in Emilia-Romagna, but their transport to Rome, and throughout the rest of the world, is much easier.

You can even get an entire wheel shipped to your house from Italy in a matter of days from its production date! (Academia Barilla’s online shop will even ship you a wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano in 2 days!)

In my next installment, I’ll cover the specifics of this incredible cheese – how and exactly where it is made, what type of milk goes into it, how long it is aged and much more.

Have a fantastic New Gourmet Year!