What defines real Parmesan cheese?
Almost all pasta dishes are even tastier with Parmesan cheese, and it also enhances the flavor of many other dishes. But is it always the original that ends up on your pasta? We take a look at where real Parmesan is from.
Category
đź—ž
NewsTranscript
00:00 This here is real Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano.
00:05 It can only be produced in one region of Italy.
00:07 If it's from anywhere else, it's fake.
00:10 You could say Parmesan is my second lover, after my wife.
00:15 Manual labor is essential.
00:18 So what makes Parmesan so special, and how is it produced?
00:26 Parmigiano Reggiano is only allowed to be produced in one area of northern Italy.
00:31 The dairy cows are only fed hay and grass.
00:35 Animal additives are prohibited according to the rules of the local Parmesan consortium.
00:41 The milk for Gaziano Pozzoli's cheese comes in part from this rare race of white cows from the Modena region.
00:53 The 71-year-old heads a cheese cooperative in the hills of the Apennine Mountains that produces organic Parmesan.
01:01 This area has boasted special conditions for a thousand years now.
01:10 Its climate, air and water, the whole environment.
01:14 That allows us to create a very natural cheese.
01:21 Only raw milk is allowed to be used.
01:23 It's gently heated in copper vats.
01:26 Then whey and rennet are added, an enzyme from calf stomachs that causes the milk to curdle.
01:31 Using a so-called cheese harp, the cheesemakers stir up the thickened milk, which shouldn't get too hot.
01:38 You have to pay attention to the tiniest details, that's the secret.
01:43 We feel how the milk curdles.
01:45 After it's heated up, it becomes compact.
01:49 It takes 15 liters of milk to make one kilo of cheese.
01:53 A linen sheet is used to lift the 80 kilo loaf out of the vat before it gets cut in two.
01:59 We call them twins because we obtained two wheels of Parmesan cheese here.
02:07 They're pressed into molds and receive the label from the Parmesan consortium.
02:16 Which regularly checks the quality of the cheese.
02:19 Only then can it receive the typical imprint showing that it's real Parmesan.
02:25 That's the identifying stamp that permanently proves the authenticity of the cheese.
02:31 Finally, the cheese goes into a salt bath to draw out the moisture.
02:37 They remain here in this brine for 20 days, but it takes 6 or 7 months to dry.
02:44 The salt has to reach the center of the cheese wheel.
02:47 The cheese wheels are stored in huge ripening rooms for at least 12 months.
02:56 They are regularly turned and brushed to ensure that they ripen perfectly.
03:02 Each individual wheel is checked for its quality by tapping it with a special hammer and listening.
03:10 This is how you can check to see if the cheese meets official requirements.
03:14 You can tap on it and hear if there are cavities or tears inside.
03:18 Only cheese wheels that pass the inspection receive the quality seal,
03:23 certifying them as true Parmigiano-Reggiano.
03:26 Otherwise, the cheese is sold as lower quality.
03:30 Over 4 million cheese wheels were produced here in 2022.
03:37 Almost half were destined for export.
03:40 But even though the cheese's designation is protected,
03:43 the market is flooded with fake Parmesan products.
03:46 It's estimated fake Parmesan vendors rake in 2 billion euros a year.
03:50 No cheese that is simply claimed to be Parmesan should bear this name.
03:57 Otherwise, you're deceiving the consumers.
04:04 Opening a wheel of Parmesan is a procedure that needs time and experience.
04:09 Graziano breaks it open with a number of special knives.
04:12 It's always really exciting to break open a new wheel.
04:17 I'm very excited to see how it is.
04:19 And thankfully, this one's excellent.
04:24 Then it gets broken up into pieces.
04:27 One kilo costs between 18 and 35 euros.
04:30 The older it is, the more expensive and aromatic.