Parmesan Cheese: What Is It and How to Use It

Parmesan cheese is a type of hard cheese that originates from the Parmigiano-Reggiano region of Italy. It is made from cow’s milk and has a sharp, salty taste and nutty flavor. Parmesan cheese can be used in a variety of dishes, including pasta dishes, salads and soups. In this blog post, we will take a closer look at Parmesan cheese and discuss how to use it in your cooking!

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What is Parmesan cheese?

Parmesan is a straw-colored hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and a strong flavor. It’s produced from cow’s milk. The original Parmigiano Reggiano comes from Italy, although similar versions and copies can be found in Argentina, Australia, and the United States.

What is Parmigiano Reggiano?

Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, dry cheese produced from skim milk or partly skim milk. It has a firm pale-golden rind and a straw-colored interior with a rich, strong flavor. Parmigiano-Reggianos are aged at least two years. Stravecchio cheese has been aged three while stravecchiones are four or more years old.

The long aging, together with the unique flavor and extremely fine texture, account for it. The “King of Cheeses” title has been given to Parmigiano-Reggiano because of its complex taste and granular texture. It’s not unusual for Italians to throw this phrase around.

What Makes a Cheese Parmigiano Reggiano?

The Parmigiano-Reggiano label, which has the words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” stamped on the rind, implies that the cheese was produced in Italy in one of four locations: Bologna, Mantua, Modena, or Parma (from which the name of this cheese derives).

Only cheese produced in the aforementioned regions may be labeled “Parmigiano-Reggiano” under Italian law, and the term, as well as the translation “Parmesan,” are protected designations of origin under European legislation.

In Italy, the DOC (Denominazene di Origine Controllata) legislation is intended to safeguard the flavor and quality of traditional Italian foods by guaranteeing them. As a result of the European Union’s DOC rules, Parmesan and Parmigiano-Reggiano are considered identical cheeses.

How is Parmesan Cheese Different?

Parmesans are commonly utilized for grating and are referred to as grana in Italy, which refers to their granular textures. Cheese names including Parmigiano-Reggiano are also known as grana in Italy. Many of these cheeses taste fantastic on their own. Grana Padano is an excellent example.

The designation Parmigiano-Reggiano is used in various parts of Italy to designate grana cheeses that don’t meet the protected origin criteria, such as particular areas of production, what the cattle eat, lengthy aging and so on.

The Italian parmigiano-reggiano is translated into English as Parmesan. Furthermore, it appears that in the 17th to 19th centuries, Parmesan was known as Parmesan in Italy and France.

In the United States, however, the term “Parmesan” is not controlled. In the United States, Parmesan cheese may be genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano, but it’s more probable to be an imitation. The majority of U.S. versions spend at least 10 months aging.

History of Parmigiano Reggiano

Cheese-makers in Northern Italy, particularly Parmigiano Reggiano, have been mentioned since the Middle Ages, when monks in Emilia-Romagna began churning out a firm cheese.

It quickly became so popular that by the Renaissance, it was a mainstay on noble tables, and eventually made its way to Tuscany’s cities and ports. It was merely a matter of time until the French gourmands rediscovered the cheese as a result of the links between illustrious families from both nations, as well as Cheese wheels given as goof faith gifts.

The cheese remained popular, not just in Parma and Reggio Emilia, but also in Modena, Bologna, and Mantua. To make the cheese—and its distinctive flavor—legal, a syndicate calling itself the Consorzio del Grana Tipico was formed among producers from those areas in 1934.

They became known as the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano in 1954, a name change intended to commemorate the historic responsibilities shared by both regions in defining the original cheese’s features. The Consorzio still examines each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano today.

How can you use Parmesan cheese?

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is commonly used to garnish pastas, add taste to soups and risottos, and eat it as a main dish. It’s frequently shaved or or used as grated cheese over other foods such as salads.

Slivers and chunks of the crust’s most hardest regions (also known as the rind) are frequently added to soups, broths, and sauces for taste. If they’re devoid of wax, you may fry them and eat them as a snack. They can also be infused in olive oil or used in a steamer basket while steaming

What is Grana Padano?

Grana Padano is a similar Italian cheese to Parmigiano Reggiano, although it’s primarily made in Lombardy, where “Padano” refers to the Po Valley (Pianura Padana). The cows that produce the milk might be fed silage as well as grass; the milk may be slightly lower in fat; and it must be aged for at least 9 months.

What is Reggianito?

Reggianito is an Argentine cheese with a similar flavor to Parmigiano. The cheese was created by Italian Argentine cheesemakers and is produced in smaller wheels and aged for less time, although it has many similarities.

How to prepare Parmesan

To prepare, peel and chop or grate as needed. Remove it from the fridge 1-2 hours before serving so that the flavor and fragrance have time to develop.

How to cook Parmesan

To add flavor to stews, sauces and braises (note: the Italians don’t use it with fish or seafood sauces), sprinkle thin shavings over salads, use as pesto, or serve as a dessert cheese with figs or pears.

How to store Parmesan

Wrap the cheese in baking parchment, then wrap it in more and store it in the fridge for two months. Scrape any mould off the surface if necessary; the cheese within should be safe to eat. 

Parmesan Cheese Recipes