cheese
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Aged hard cheese; finishing grate.
- Origin
- Emilia-Romagna, Italy
- Moisture
- low
About
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, aged cow's-milk cheese from a defined zone around Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (west of the Reno), and Mantua (south of the Po). Aged a minimum of 12 months and typically sold at 24 or 36 months, it brings a deep nutty, savory, slightly crystalline finish. On pizza its role is finishing rather than melting — grated fine over a Margherita or a Roman bianca after the bake, where the heat is enough to soften it but not enough to break the protein structure. Buy a wedge with the rind-stamp, grate to order, and never use the green-can stuff.
History
The cheese has been made in essentially its current form by Cistercian and Benedictine monasteries since the 12th–13th centuries. The DOP regulation dates from 1996 (under EU rules) but the consortium that polices it was founded in 1934.
Substitutes
- Pecorino Romano — saltier, tangier