Posts Tagged ‘parmigiano reggiano’

Parmigiano-Reggiano: The World’s Greatest Cheese

Thursday, February 17th, 2011

The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is known to be the world’s greatest cheese. It is one of the best specialties in Italian cuisine. Parmigiano Reggiano has been handcrafted by Italian artisans for centuries. Made from cow’s unpasteurized milk, hard and pressed. This Italian cheese is aged for 30 to 36 months. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a delicious, rich and full-flavored cheese. It is used to add tremendous flavor to many dishes. It is also a very delectable table cheese. You can grate it and add it to your pastas and baked dishes.

Choosing the Best Parmigiano Reggiano

Choose the best Parmigiano cheese. You have to select a high quality Parmigiano cheese. If you want to be sure, buy the one that still has a rind on it so you can be sure of the origin. Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese has a traditional marking on the entire wheel of cheese. This cheese comes from Italy’s provinces in Reggio in Emilia parts of Modena and Parma. The unique flavor of this cheese is impossible to imitate. When you are buying at your gourmet cheese store, talk to their cheesemongers and ask all the details regarding their Parmigiano cheese.  Establish a relationship with your local cheese store or supplier and know where the cheese came from. Also, determine how long the cheese is aged. It should be aged at least one year or more.

Serving Parmigiano Reggiano

Since parmesan cheese are always used extensively in pasta dishes, we suggest to buy the authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. It is the best authentic parmesan cheese in the world. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese makes a great table and dessert cheese. You can serve and break it in small chunks or curls and match it with good seasonal fruits. You can cut it in bite-sized slices. You can put a few drops of honey over your Parmigiano for more enjoyment. You can cut your Parmigiano in paper thin slivers or grate it into your mixed green salad. You can also use the rind to flavor your soup, it will add a rich, great texture and full of flavor.

Nutritional Value of Parmigiano-Reggiano

Parmigiano Reggiano is an excellent source of protein, calcium and other vitamins and minerals. Parmigiano’s high level of calcium and phosphorous makes it an extremely useful nutrient for those suffering from osteoporosis. As valuable for your health as it may be, this cheese will bring exquisite taste and aroma to any dish you prepare this with.

Shopping for a Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is easy today. There are a lot of gourmet cheese stores selling genuine cheese products. If you haven’t tried one yet, try one now. You can go to your local cheese stores and shop for the authentic Parmigiano cheese. You can also shop at a gourmet cheese shop online. Just make sure you are buying authentic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

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Parmigiano Reggiano: Beyond Spaghetti

Tuesday, July 27th, 2010

I don’t know about you, but my childhood memory of parmesan cheese is still very vivid. It was a Thursday, and it came pre-grated in a green cardboard cylinder. It sat in the fridge for a couple of weeks until my mom finally opened it and made spaghetti. It’s okay, admit it. You first parmesan cheese encounter was something like that, too. But I, and America, have grown up. No longer are gourmet ships restricted to the biggest cities while Italian restaurants now serve other regional dishes and not just the classics. Since we are used to tasting different things, new things, and making discriminating choices, it is time that we take a closer look at Parmigiano Reggiano, a kind of cheese that is light years ahead of parmesan cheese.

Parmigiano Reggiano is a medium-fat cheese that is made from partly skimmed and unpasteurized cow’s milk. It was initially made in a zone limited to the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia and Modena, among other parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bolognia in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The Parmigiano Reggiano is naturally prepared, and no chemical preservatives or artificial additives are used. The Parmigiano Reggiano, like fine wine, is a living product, capable of maturing and evolving in flavor.

The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a time-tested cheese, although complex, it is still perfect served on its own. Simply break off small chunks, make paper thin silvers or cut it into bite size slices, and you are ready to serve! But since everyone just loves the Parmigiano Reggiano, you can also pair it with a never ending list of other flavors that will highlight its subtle bite and sweetness.

An essential part of any Italian athlete’s post-workout diet, the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is also a great source of protein, calcium and phosphorous, and it contains other vitamins and minerals such as B12, copper and zinc. But the most interesting thing about the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is the traditional way of opening, more appropriately called “cracking”, its huge wheel.

In case you have never seen a Parmigiano Reggiano cut open and wonders how these cutters were able to cut into such ragged and craggy wedges, well you will be surprised if I tell you that those wedges are there on purpose. Some people consider breaking into a 24-month old wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano like “cracking open happiness”. Why? Because traditionally, opening the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese wheel makes use of a set of official tools – five different types of knives – in order to make sure that the internal crystalline structure and crumbly texture is preserved and left intact.

Carefully crafted by artisans, each wheel of the Parmigiano Reggiano is an expression of the cheese maker’s sensibilities and sound judgment – the maker decides every stage of production with his fingertips. More than just a pasta ingredient, the Parmigiano Reggiano is a product of an intimate endeavor. So don’t stop grating.

Get the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese today!

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