Two days of adventure, education, and unwinding - A trip to Emilia Romagna

Waking up before anyone in Italy, for me, not such a bad thing.  I think maybe the kids had a little trouble adjusting, but you know, after a brief stop for cappuccino and pastry, they, well, fell asleep in no time.  Me?  I admired the drive and the beauty of the darkness and tranquility.  In a matter of hours we were watching the sun rise and the day truly begin.  We were on our way to the region of Emilia Romagna and the special delicacies that come from this gastronomic region.

Emilia Romagna - http://www.emiliaromagnaturismo.it/en/ is one of the wealthiest and most developed regions in Europe.  It has one of Italy's higheast quality of life indices and advanced social services.  It is also a center for automobile production, being the home of Ferrari, Lamborghini, Maserati, Pagani, De Tomaso, and Ducati.  But more importantly is that it is also a center for food and a gastronomic epicenter!

Which brings us to our first stop on this whirlwind, two day tour of the region.  Let's talk cheese!  Not just any cheese though, this cheese is known as the King of Cheeses - Parmigiano Reggiano.

I used to go to the market, sample the cheese, buy the cheese, and think nothing more of it.  My thoughts used to be, "well, they take some milk, put it in a machine and let the machine do all of the work, then boom, we have cheese".  Then I went to culinary school, and my way of thinking started to change.  I realized that some things, food related were still being made the traditional ways, with a little help from modern technology, but not fully automated.  And this visit to San Pier Damiani - http://www.parmigianoreggiano.com/dairies/09b0ac2dc99e49998886f915088c55ef.aspx proved that quality comes from passion and care of their product.  This is a very small operation and I mean small.  Four members of the family, work 7 days a week, with having only 1 day off a year, to produce 12 wheels of parmigiano a day.

As I stated in the prior paragraph, this is not an industrial set up, however there is still precision involved, such as the weight of each wheel-45 kg, each one.  And the process of making each wheel, is the same, each time.  This is a third generation operation, so the family could probably do this with their eyes closed, however since you feel a true sense of passion in their motions and the look in their eyes when unveiling each wheel, you know they don't want to miss a single moment of the process.

And the process-let's start with the afternoon milking.  Holstein's are milked in the afternoon, then that milk is delivered and spread in large, open metal pans.  While it rests, the cream rises where it is eventually skimmed off.  Of course that cream doesn't go to waste.  Nothing really goes to waste here.  The cream is used to make Reggiano butter or ricotta.  Then the following morning, the new days milk is combined with yesterday's skim milk and then is placed into 6 large copper kettles to begin the next step-cooking.

The cooking process is rather short-10 - 12 minutes, at 130F.  Calf rennet is then added, beginning the coagulation process.  Curds and whey separate and fermented whey from yesterdays batch is added to maintain quality.  This first part of the process is what can absolutely ruin wheels of parmigiano.  If there is anything slightly off about the milk being delivered, it can be detrimental to the entire process and you won't find out until it is inspected by the consortium.  Of course, what happens to the bad batch?  It's sent off to be used for grated cheese or industrial use.

Oh, speaking of curds and whey, this is where some things have changed over the years.  In the past, cheesemakers used to also raise pigs that they would use to produce Proscuitto di Parma.  The pigs would be fed the whey of the separated milk, which would fatten the pigs up faster and give the meat an incredible flavor.  The family here no longer raises pigs, and I can not remember the reason why.  I think I was so overwhelmed with the idea of trying the cheese that the family produced I was in another world.  And before I forget, the whey is used in the next days batch, as part of the starter, combined with the calf rennet.

The next step is breaking up the curds.  This is where Mamma and Papa step back, unless of course they see bad form.  Then Papa steps in and Mamma supervises.  After the curds are broken, they are set to rest, while the other kettles are attended to.  The curds settle to the bottom of the kettle.  Of course prior to this, cheese cloth is placed with a bit hanging out of the kettle, for the curds to settle on, for ease of bringing to the surface, and forming the cheese.

Breaking the curds under the close supervision of Papa.

Sometimes Papa needs to step in.

After the curds are taken care of, then the curd wrangling begins.  This is a two person process.  Loosening and gathering the curd is done with a wooden paddle and brought to the surface, then a little rock and roll with the cheesecloth brings it all together.  What appears to be a large wooden rolling pin is placed on top of the kettle and what was brought together in on large cheese cloth is now separated and placed into two separate pieces of cheese cloth.  It's then tied to the pin, the remaining liquid is drained from the kettles, and the cheese can drain of it's liquid, while the other kettles are tended to.

Really a great workout.

After draining, the curds are brought to a large wooden table and placed in a plastic mold that contains specific information, such as date and code for scanning.  They will rest in the molds for a day or two, and then it is off for a 25 day sea salt bath.  Then it's off to the aging room for a minimum of 12 months.  Each week, the wheel is turned and wiped down.  At the end of the 12 months, a member of the consortium or Battitori comes in for inspection.  With the tap of a hammer, the inspector determines the fate of this piece of delicious art.  If it is good, then the cheese is stamped with a signature and a stamp of quality.  If it has failed inspection, it is branded another way, and it's destination is set for industrial use and mass consumption.

After being place in the plastic mold, a steel mold assures the form of the wheel.

The sea salt bath.

And the aging process begins.

You can see the stamp from the mold.

An aged wheel from 2012

I think Chef Lorenzo was trying to strike up a deal.

Wiping down an aged wheel, prepping to be opened.

After judgement day, the cheese will still rest for another six months, and some up to 36 months.  But at this point, I think we are ready to taste this cheese.  And this is where I stop writing, because now I'm craving a little Parmigiano Reggiano.  I think that would make a perfect breakfast, with a sliced pear.  Yes, perfect!!

Tools, still used to this day.

This was just the first stop on the two day adventure.  Stay tuned for the follow ups, to come shortly.