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Parmigiano reggiano PDO: production process
Milk from 270.000 cows milked twice a day is taken to the dairy within two hours from each milking. The milk is in its natural state, without the addition of additives and without having been treated.
Evening milk, partially skimmed due to the fat rising naturally, is mixed in copper boilers with the full cream milk from the following morning. Starter whey is added to the milk, a natural culture of lactic acid bacteria obtained from whey left over from the previous days' work. This results in coagulation at a temperature of 33-35°C for 10-12 minutes, in copper cone-shaped trunk boilers using only veal rennet. The curd is then broken into small granules of approximately 2-4 mm, called "spinatura". Cooking is an extemely delicate phase in which the cheese maker takes the temperature in a controlled and gradual manner from 33-35°C to 55°C in approximately 10 minutes. The heat causes the granules to lose water and fall to the bottom of the boiler where they are allowed to settle for 45-60 minutes, leading to a compact mass that is then transferred to the moulds for shaping (which lasts 2-3 days). Salting is done by immersing the wheels into salt water for 20-25 days, at a temperature of approximately 16°C. The wheels are then allowed to age for at least 12 months (for an average of 20-24 months) at a temperature of 18-20°C. At the end of the minimum ageing period each wheel is subjected to expert checks in order to assess appearance, structure and characteristics of the body.
Source: www.parmigiano-reggiano.it
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