If Parmesan is champagne, Parmigiano Reggiano is champagne. Do you know the difference between Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano? We'll tell you.
More than 1800 species There are many different types of cheese, but there are still a few that stand alone as a cheese. Among the world champion French, Swiss and Dutch cheeses, an Italian classic, Parmesan, stands out.
Parmigiano means "parmait" in Hungarian. Parmesan is an Italian hard cheese that has conquered the world from the Emilia-Romagna region. But how do we know whether it is Parmesan or the original Parmigiano Reggiano cheese are we dealing with cheese? Are these two not the same?
Parmesan: looks and taste
Parmesan is usually found in plastic packaging in the deli counter or cheese section of grocery stores. The well-known huge cheese rolls are also stocked in delicatessens selling quality goods, ranging from 35 to 45 centimetres in diameter and weighing from 24 to 40 kilos.
The yellowish discs on the outside conceal a straw-coloured cheese with a rich flavour on the inside. True connoisseurs will be able to pick out the flavours of herb pastures from the delicately sweet taste of the cheese. The cheese's characteristic granular texture, which cannot be cut evenly, reveals a dense, firm interior.
Parmesan is not only robust in texture, but also in its nutritional value. It's a truly nutritious food: a single ounce, or nearly 30 grams, of Parmesan contains 9 grams of protein and 321 milligrams of calcium. Beef, known as the protein bomb, has 2 grams less protein than the same amount of Parmesan; it also contains nearly 10 times more calcium than the same amount of milk.
D.O.P. is the top
The Italian D.O.P. (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) designation is a protected designation of origin. The D.O.P. category guarantees not only that the quality criteria are met, but also that the product in question comes exclusively from the designated area. Only foodstuffs produced locally from raw materials grown and reared in the area, including the pastures where the cows graze, may be awarded the label.
The D.O.P. mark can therefore be used for Parmigiano Reggiano with a protected designation of origin. These cheeses are made from only three ingredients: raw milk, salt and a rennin rennet extracted from calves. These products must come from the Emilia-Romagna region and producers must comply strictly with the cheese-making requirements of the Consorzio Del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano. These include, among many other requirements, the type of wooden shelves on which the cheeses are rested during the maturing process.
What does Parmesan do?
What does Parmesan do?
The Parmesan, Parmigiano cheese is also produced using technology inspired by Parmigiano-Reggiano. However, they cannot be called Parmigiano-Reggiano if they do not meet the criteria for D.O.P. certification. Many producers have been stung by attempts to label their Parmesan cheeses as PDO Parmigiano-Reggiano. A big advantage for consumers is that it is more affordable than top quality Parmigiano-Reggiano.
For the Parmesan like Grana Padano cheese also has to be made in a specific region of Italy, but the Grana Padano region is much larger, which ultimately makes the cheese more affordable as more producers can produce it. While Pecorino is more salty and flavoursome, Grana Padano is much milder.
A grana, also known as "granular", includes Grana Padano hard cheese. The word grana refers to the granular structure of the cheese and is used mainly reszelve or, less often, eaten on its own, for example as an antipasti, or cold starter.
The more expensive and the higher the quality of a hard cheese, the more it is used as a cheese in a non-traditional sense, for example sliced. A Parmigiano-Reggiano aged for several years is more of an aromatic condiment, of which only a small amount is grated on a fine-hole grater or added to food in hair-thin slices.
