Parmigiano Reggiano

regianoDelicious on a hot summer day as a booster during snack time or of course throughout the year, Parmigiano Reggiano as a snack with a glass of wine, Castello di Meleto Chianti Riserva fits perfectly with it. This old mature cheese has a delicious salty taste and for me personally a simple but irresistable treat. It is a dry, crumbly cheese with salt crystals in it. The most delicious one I have tasted was at the Ialian Riviera de Ligure, really an incredible taste sensation. For this cheese it is important that it should be made according to strict rules before the name Parmigiano Reggiano is allowed. In order to make 1 kg cheese 16 liters of cow’s milk is required, for a whole cheese approximately 600 liters. The cheese is approved by the Consorzio del Parmigiano Reggiano and gets next to the DOP (Denominazione d’Origine Protetta either Protected Designation of Origin) label the origin displays, all over the crust called Parmigiano Reggiano. If there is a superior quality then there is the supplement ‘extra‘ or ‘export’. The ripening process is at least 24 months, but cheeses of 3 or even 4 years are no exception. This problably explains why it was less good elsewhere in Italy because sometimes the cheese is sold as parmesan while there is none. If you find  pure cheese to intense in taste you can combine the cheese well with a fig compote.