From stables to stars

From stables to stars
Magazine: March 2008

Parmigiano-Reggiano has survived undamaged from the distant past to reach the XXI century with its same original characteristics. It was created in a faraway era and in an area abundant in milk and salt. In the Padana plain in the Middle Ages, the Benedictine monks transformed the raw material into large cheeses, ideal for accompanying wayfarers on their long expeditions. In the XIII century the water and fodder in the territory between the Po and the Apennines facilitated the development of cattle breeding and the cheese making skills of the abbeys. In 1800, the attempt to unite the Parma and Reggio Emilia production failed and it was only in 1934 that the Parmigiano-Reggiano Protection Consortium was founded. «Our cheese has remained identical over 7 centuries », declares Giuseppe Alai, president of the consortium, «The evolution of the cheese making sector has introduced an industrial alignment but we have remained faithful to artisanal methods from which the uniqueness of Parmigiano-Reggiano derives. The first artesian product in the world became PDO in 1996».

In line with the times
For the production of the PDO, manmade intervention has been perfected, just as for the animal’s nutrition which influences the quality of the milk and cheese. The Parmigiano-Reggiano cows are fed on vegetal fodder, without transgenic substances. By now, renowned universally as nutritious fare, the PDO has also triumphed in the sporting world. The Protection Organisation will be the official supplier of the national team at the next Peking Olympics. However, so much notoriety shows the flip side of the coin: Parmigiano-Reggiano is the most imitated Italian speciality in the world. «Against counterfeiters the Consortium has set up Origin, an international network for the protection and the promotion of the geographical indications», says Leo Bertozzi, director of the Consortium.