My memory of the first encounter that I had with parmesan cheese is still very clear. It came pre-grated one Thursday afternoon neatly wrapped 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 America and I are no longer kids. Gourmet shops are no longer exclusive to the big cities and Italian restaurants now serve regional menus instead of pure classics. And since we are used to tasting a lot of things and making choices, perhaps it is time that we get to know Parmigiano Reggiano a little more; the cheese that is years away from being the parmesan that we know.

Made from unpasteurized cow’s milk, the Parmigiano Reggiano is partly skimmed and is medium-fat. Initially, it was made in a zone limited to the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia and Modena, and other parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bolognia in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is naturally made sans the chemical preservatives and artificial additives. It is a living product that matures and evolves in flavor, like fine wine.

The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a time-tested cheese, although complex, it is still perfect served on its own. Just break off a small chunk off the brick, and you are ready to serve. Everyone loves the taste of this cheese, and you can even pair it with a long list of other flavors that will highlight its 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 main attraction of this cheese is its traditional opening, called “cracking.

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”. This is because traditionally, opening it would need a specific set of tools 5 different kinds of knives to make sure that the crystalline structure and crumbly texture remain preserved and intact inside.

The Parmigiano Reggiano is an expression of the cheese maker’s sensibilities and judgment the maker decides every phase of production with his hands. That makes the Parmigiano Reggiano more than just a pasta ingredient, but a product of an intimate process. So don’t stop grating. Try the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese today!

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