Follow the adventures of Paul Pitzers and Grace Pitzer

The Making of Parmesan Cheese

5/2/2016

Bologna to Parma, Italy

May 1, Bologna to Parma
The morning started with an early departure from our small unique Porta San Mamolo Hotel for the bus ride to Parma. Along the way we made several stops for what OAT called "Learning and Discovery," The first stop was near Castelfranco Emilia, in an agricultural area to visit a small producer of Parmigiano cheese. This is the only area where true Parmesan cheese is made, using cows fed designated grasses and other specific agricultural products.

We met Giuseppe and his wife, Luisa, who work as a team during the whole process. We arrived just as the fresh milk had been off loaded from a small transport tank, into two deep conical vessels used for the first step in making the cheese. The milk was churned and heated to about 31 degrees centigrade. Throughout the process, Giuseppe explained, through our guide, exactly what was happening and what he was looking for in the process. At one point early in the process, Luisa added enzymes which had been saved from the batch the day before. This started the process of coagulation.

As the curds began to form, Giuseppe and Luisa stirred the vats with huge wire frame whisks to keep everything in suspension for a while and break up any large pieces. Eventually the milk separated and the heavy parts fell to the bottom and the top became clear. At this point, Luisa took off the enzymes that would be needed for the next day's batch. When all of the curds had settled and formed into a mass, Giuseppe and Luisa used large wooden paddles to ease the mass up to the top where they surrounded it with a large piece of cheese cloth. They suspended the mass to begin draining it.

Eventually, each large bundle of the now fresh cheese was put into a round mold to further shape and drain it. The insides of the molds contained embossed wording and the date. That information was permanently pressed into the outside of each round. The rounds weighed about 80 lbs. each. They are left in the white molds for 24 hours, then changed to a stainless steel molds for 48 hours, for further draining. After that, the rounds are moved onto racks and submerged in a brine for three weeks. This helps seal the outside of the rounds.

Once out of the brine, the rounds are moved to a storage room where they will be kept for two years before officials come to test them for quality. One testing method is tapping them with a small hammer. If the sound is uniform all the way around, it means there are no imperfections. During this time, the outside of the round continues to darken in color. After four years it is ready to be sold as aged Parmesan. When looking at pieces of cheese in the market, look for several things. One would be the official yellow and orange seal that indicates it is certified as authentic from this area. Another is to look for the small white dots, which is not mold, but an indication that the enzymes have crystallized, which is a good thing. That was new information for me.

After learning and watching all these steps, we were given a chance to sample the cheese. Some pieces had honey, or jam on them. Then there was the Ricotta cheese, which is a byproduct of this process. It is very light and was served with some fruit on top. The rest of the leftover milk - the whey - is fed to pigs in the area.

This whole process was labor intensive, and had to be done every day. After all, cows do not take a break. Giuseppe and Luisa occasionally take a day off, but they have others who can take over when they are gone. Giuseppe teaches students at the Agricultural High School and the students learn the whole process from raising the crops to making the cheese.

From now on, I'll certainly have a new appreciation for the "Real" Parmesan cheese.

Our second stop was to visit a family that makes "Traditional Balsamic Vinegar," and I'll explain that in my next post.

All for now,
Grace and Paul