
Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food - MiriamWeiner
http://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20190127-italys-practically-perfect-food
======
AdmiralAsshat
>Few of these fans would recognise much of what’s sold today. The white flakes
many of us grew up shaking from a green can aren’t parmesan, not even close.
Within the EU, both Parmigiano-Reggiano and its anglicised version,
“parmesan”, are legally registered terms protected by the PDO – protected
designation of origin – label since 1996. But in the US, the law protects only
the name “Parmigiano-Reggiano” (In the EU, those green Kraft canisters are
labelled “Parmasello”).

This should be everyone's takeaway point from the article. The generic term
"parmesan" means nothing. Don't buy it unless it actually says "Parmigiano-
Reggiano", as that guarantees at least some minimum level of quality (fraud
notwithstanding).

I'd also suggest that anyone with a Costco membership should grab a wedge from
there. You'll pay $18 or so for a chunk of quality stuff that will last you
about six months. It's very, very resilient to mold.

~~~
eyko
Not everyone needs Parmagiano-Reggiano. You can buy parmesan to put on your
microwaved pasta and it will be Very Good(TM). No need to waste good quality
DOP on that.

As with all cheeses, "parmesan" labeled cheeses will also vary in quality. Go
for what your wallet + taste buds tell you to pick. There really are good
quality "parmesan" brands out there. Maybe not the cheapest stuff in your
grocery store, but as long as you know what you're getting...

I have a philosophy: if it's made from real milk and by craftspeople who
respect the product and the customer, then DOP is not necessarily the only
marker of quality cheese.

edit: Here's an anecdote: A few months ago I travelled to the USA (Detroit)
for a friend's wedding. Most of the food after the ceremony was from local
producers, either acquaintances or good friends of the couple. My friend (who
is also not from the USA) told me to try some of the charcuterie and cheeses
on one of the tables and to tell him what I thought (we're both from Spain).
The parmesan on that table was just perfect. Obviously not the real deal, but
you could see the texture: the crumbly-ness (is that a word?), the little
crystals cracking in your mouth, the aroma... I would not have guessed it was
local produce. The same goes for the cured meats (some chorizo, and some cured
ham, with a profile somewhere in between serrano and prosciutto). Really good
stuff, and definitely not DOP.

~~~
eafkuor
> You can buy parmesan to put on your microwaved pasta

Jesus Christ you almost gave me a heart attack

~~~
woodpanel
As a European this whole American microwaved cheese on noodles thing was
always a prime cliché example of classless American quisine (I think for
Americans too).

Boy am I happy to have gotten over that snobbishness! Apart from many American
dishes that blew me away macaroni and cheese wasn’t one of it (since it’s not
served in US diners ... i think). So I tried it out at home (leftover noodles
and some cheese) and I have to say: it was really good. The melt is perfect. I
don’t know of any technique capable of merging noodles with melted cheese in
such an immersive way other than with a microwave (radiating oven heat will
have a different effect).

~~~
hrpolice
You probably haven't tried Indian food served as an all you can eat buffet in
the USA. Those places are legendary for their exquisite taste palette.

------
arthursilva
It's an absolutely delicious cheese, but why write this nutritional nonsense
about "perfect food"?

~~~
goshx
Click bait.

~~~
lawlorino
Very true. I've noticed in the past couple of years that the quantity of these
kinds of articles on the BBC seems to be increasing, which is a shame because
I've long considered them 'above' this kind of journalism. Just looking at
their front page it seems over half of the articles are like this. On the
other hand, I can understand why - people click and share these kinds of
articles much more frequently, so I imagine it makes their advertisers very
happy.

------
twic
There's a lot of woo in that article. Yes, Parmesan is made to strict rules;
no, i probably couldn't tell it from Grana Padano if i was blindfolded.

And there's an effort from Wisconsin that is apparently very good:

[https://www.thekitchn.com/a-morethanworthy-
replacement-f-132...](https://www.thekitchn.com/a-morethanworthy-
replacement-f-132465)

~~~
pacbard
As someone who grew up in the Parmigiano Reggiano production zone and whose
family is member of a Parmigiano co-op, I can tell you that it is possible to
taste the difference between Parmigiano, grana padano, and the parmesan
clones.

It boils down to what you use the cheese for. If you just want to grate it on
some pasta, you can use whatever. If you are making tortellini, you better use
the 36-month cheese from your casaro (cheese maker).

Edit: Compare the picture of the cheese you link to this one:
[http://www.caseificioboiardo.it/en/eshop/parmigiano-
reggiano...](http://www.caseificioboiardo.it/en/eshop/parmigiano-
reggiano-12-months/)

You can notice right away that the cheese has a different consistency. The
American clone is smoother (it looks almost like plastic). The 12-month
Parmigiano Reggiano (the youngest "age" that the cheese can be sold as PR) is
textured. That signals that the amount of moisture in the American clone is
off and that will effect the aging of the cheese and ultimately its taste.

~~~
m000
Since you seem to have a first-hand perspective on the production of
Parmigiano Reggiano, would you care to comment on the claims of CIWF [1,2]
about animal welfare in the region? The situation they describe is quite the
opposite of the idyllic pictures in the BBC article. Is the kind of abuse
described by CIWF on the rise? Is it specific farms that engage in it? Does
the co-op take any measures against them? Can they lose their PDO seal for
such abuses?

[1] [https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2017/11/the-cruel-truth-
behind-...](https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2017/11/the-cruel-truth-behind-
parmesan-that-is-hard-to-stomach)

[2] [https://www.ciwf.org.uk/philip-lymbery/blog/2017/11/hard-
che...](https://www.ciwf.org.uk/philip-lymbery/blog/2017/11/hard-cheese-hard-
life)

~~~
pacbard
In my experience, I have never seen or heard of anyone grazing their milk
cows. I also haven't seen cows being abused or underweight (I don't think that
an underweight milk cow would produce much milk, so that wouldn't make sense).

Generally, cows are kept in barns and are usually tied to a rail. This is what
I have in mind:
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij6ZpBwSo&t=3m12s](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij6ZpBwSo&t=3m12s)
or this
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ili9d4OmURk&t=1m3s](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ili9d4OmURk&t=1m3s)

As far as I know, cows have been traditionally kept like that, as old barns
have a similar set up.

It looks like ciwf is advocating for milk cows to be grazing. I don't think
that it is feasible given the current economic and geographical limitations of
the Parmiginao Reggiano production zone. Economically, making cheese is barely
profitable, with most farmers just making it. Most of the cheese is sold in
bulk to wholesalers in the form of "futures". They buy the whole production
for a year (for example) before the cheese is ready. That allows the cheese
maker to pay the farmers in advance but that also makes it so they can't
demand much for the cheese. The other option is to wait and try to sell it
directly but they run the risk of not selling the whole stock (also, consider
that the cheese as a very short shelf life, as once a cheese form is open it
needs to be sold).

Geographically, there isn't really much space for grazing cows. The pianura
padana is probably one of the most densely populated areas in Italy. Plus, it
is also where most Italian industry is located. I don't think it would be
possible to find enough space for all the cows even if it were economically
viable.

------
Kurtz79
Fun fact: it is referenced int the classic novel "Treasure Island" by Louis
Stevenson (1883):

"If there's any doubt about the matter, he is," returned the doctor. "A man
who has been three years biting his nails on a desert island, Jim, can't
expect to appear as sane as you or me. It doesn't lie in human nature. Was it
cheese you said he had a fancy for?"

"Yes, sir, cheese," I answered.

"Well, Jim," says he, "just see the good that comes of being dainty in your
food. You've seen my snuff-box, haven't you? And you never saw me take snuff,
the reason being that in my snuff-box I carry a piece of Parmesan cheese--a
cheese made in Italy, very nutritious. Well, that's for Ben Gunn!"

~~~
jimbokun
Wow, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium were paying for product placement even
back then!

------
jacknews
I spy a media promotion campaign.

I've seen 2-3 articles in the last couple of days extolling the virtues (or
deserved expense) of parmesan. I guess sales are down.

------
jamesgagan
friendly reminder that if you are concerned about animals or the environment,
you should give up dairy products.

[https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding...](https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/may/31/avoiding-
meat-and-dairy-is-single-biggest-way-to-reduce-your-impact-on-earth)

as well, these animals are apparently not well treated
[https://action.ciwf.org.uk/page/20874/action/1?locale=en-
GB](https://action.ciwf.org.uk/page/20874/action/1?locale=en-GB)

~~~
ceejayoz
The charts in The Guardian's article indicate cheese is _much_ more
environmentally friendly than beef consumption.

~~~
ddebernardy
Indeed, but having heard it once, I found it rather mortifying to hear a milk
cow mourn its calf for days on end after the latter got taken away from it.
This is about animal welfare more than CO2 emissions. Lab-grown meat and
related products can't come fast enough.

------
antisthenes
I've never seen so much food-snobbery in 1 thread before.

Do you guys only eat food sourced from its place of origin 100% of the time?
Nothing else will do?

------
ceejayoz
It really saddens me that many folks have only had the generic, relatively
flavorless knock-off. The real stuff is a different cheese entirely.

~~~
antoineMoPa
Exactly. The only thing preventing me from eating a pound of parmigiano is the
price. Sad parmesan powder? Nope.

It makes me sad that we have to move the product around the world to consume
it because it is just made at 1 precise location, emitting a lot of CO2.

~~~
SketchySeaBeast
> The only thing preventing me from eating a pound of parmigiano is the price.

That's the only thing?

And just because something was produced locally doesn't necessarily mean it
has less carbon footprint than one produced halfway around the world.

[https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553456/Greener-
by-m...](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1553456/Greener-by-
miles.html)

~~~
antoineMoPa
> > The only thing preventing me from eating a pound of parmigiano is the
> price.

> That's the only thing?

Yes. I did not specify time though. Let's say 8 hours.

~~~
SketchySeaBeast
Even over that sort of timeline, I don't trust my colon enough to try and
tackle that.

------
fulafel
Don't buy Parmigiano, they have serious problems with treatment of cows.

Link: [https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-25/animal-rights-
group-s...](https://www.pri.org/stories/2017-11-25/animal-rights-group-says-
two-italys-most-famous-cheeses-are-made-milk-abused-cows)

------
newnewpdro
I was raised in an Italian-american home with a traditional stay at home
mother, authentic home-cooked meals were served every day.

Every week I had to grate this stuff to fill the repurposed glass Smuckers jar
kept in the refrigerator for sprinkling on damn near everything.

Us kids were regularly being scolded for devouring the small chunk kept in the
drawer, reserved for thinly sliced antipasto use.

This article however seems completely absurd to me. This cheese when grated is
basically a dairy-derived flavorful salt substitute.

It is not a health food. You wouldn't tell someone they're practicing healthy
eating when shaking salt over their spaghetti, they're doing basically the
same thing with grated parmegian while adding more calories than salt alone
would.

If you put a block of parm anywhere near me it'll be in my belly within the
hour, but every time I do this my pants fit tightly for 2 days from all the
retained water. It's a decadent treat I indulge in few times a year, to give
myself a block of parm and eat it in one sitting. Mostly for the time machine
effect of revisiting childhood. The linked article implies I should do it more
often for positive health reasons, and I'm certain doing so would not improve
my health one iota.

------
danw1979
A little lump of Parmaggiano will, relevant bodily functions permitting, be
the last thing I ever eat :)

------
billfruit
Only one question, what is the sodium content like? The article is curiously
silent on that.

~~~
ceejayoz
1.6 grams of sodium (about the daily limit) in a hundred grams of Parmigiano-
Reggiano.
[https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/made/nutritional_features...](https://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/made/nutritional_features/default.aspx)

------
polskibus
Does Grana Padano have the same beneficial qualities as Parmesan?

~~~
puzzle
They're not very different. Grana Padano is fresher and milder. They have
similar levels of fat and protein — among the highest of all cheeses for
protein, actually.

~~~
HelloNurse
The grainy texture comes from protein crystals.

------
goshx
Parmigiano-Reggiano and Grana Padano are my favorites.

~~~
stronglikedan
Make sure you try Pecorino Romano if you haven't already (the block, not pre-
grated or sliced). My favorite, and I eat it like the author eats parm-reg.

I haven't tried Grana Padano yet, but you can I will!

------
baybal2
I tried it once and it tasted very plain

~~~
stronglikedan
Perhaps you haven't had the real thing? If you are sure you have, then perhaps
you need an olfactory receptor checkup.

