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 stayed in the fridge for a long time until the day mom decided to make spaghetti and opened it. Admit it. Your first encounter with parmesan cheese was something like that as well. But several years has passed since then. Gourmet shops are no longer just for big cities and Italian restaurants are already serving regional dishes on top of the 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. Traditionally, it is made 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.

If ever you have not witnessed a Parmigiano Reggiano cut open, or if you are wondering how the cutters were able to get through the craggy and rugged wedges, you will be surprised to know that those wedges were left on purpose. Some people consider breaking into the 1-year old Parmigiano Reggiano wheel as “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 cheese is both an expression of the cheese maker’s sensibilities as well as a product of sound judgment – the maker decides every step of the production with his own hands. That makes the Parmigiano Reggiano more than just a pasta ingredient, but a product of an intimate process. Why stop grating? Go ahead and try the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese today!