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Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

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Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#11

Post by 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!"

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#12

Post by mikepurvis »

basch wrote: post #8
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #3

>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,…

There are good American variants. "Parmigiano-Reggiano" may be protected, but it doesnt mean that the only good cheese is coming from Italy. https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/American-Grana https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/Parmesan Check out section H - https://1sskha48hhbhl0oc61bhsagh-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-... https://wccc.myentries.org/contest/results/?event=61&eventCl... They won first place in America a…

Depending where you live, there are a lot of small-time artisan cheese makers who make great product. For example, Gunn's Hill in southwestern Ontario— their stuff is more like a mild swiss than a sharper parmesan, but it's beautifully flexible for sandwiches, sauces, snacking, whatever. And the cheese counters at our local farmers market have a number of options like this.

https://www.gunnshillcheese.ca/artisan-cheese/our-artisan-ch...

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#13

Post by eyko »

AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #3

>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,…

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.

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#15

Post by luckydata »

basch wrote: post #8
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #3

>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,…

There are good American variants. "Parmigiano-Reggiano" may be protected, but it doesnt mean that the only good cheese is coming from Italy. https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/American-Grana https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/Parmesan Check out section H - https://1sskha48hhbhl0oc61bhsagh-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-... https://wccc.myentries.org/contest/results/?event=61&eventCl... They won first place in America a…

I'm Italian living in California, I looked far and wide for reasonable alternatives and wished to find good stuff here. You can give yourself all the medals you want but it won't make you the real deal, the stuff you mentioned might be passable grated but it's not even remotely the same when consumed by itself.

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#16

Post by antoineMoPa »

ceejayoz wrote: post #2

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

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.

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#17

Post by Kurtz79 »

luckydata wrote: post #15
basch wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are good American variants. "Parmigiano-Reggiano" may be protected, but it doesnt mean that the only good cheese is coming from Italy. https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/American-Grana https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/Parmesan Check out section H - https://1sskha48hhbhl0oc61bhsagh-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-... https://wccc.myentries.org/contest/results/?event=61&eventCl... They won first place in America a…

I'm Italian living in California, I looked far and wide for reasonable alternatives and wished to find good stuff here. You can give yourself all the medals you want but it won't make you the real deal, the stuff you mentioned might be passable grated but it's not even remotely the same when consumed by itself.

Have you tried the actual cheeses he mentions?

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#18

Post by sgc »

basch wrote: post #8
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #3

>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,…

There are good American variants. "Parmigiano-Reggiano" may be protected, but it doesnt mean that the only good cheese is coming from Italy. https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/American-Grana https://www.belgioioso.com/Products/Parmesan Check out section H - https://1sskha48hhbhl0oc61bhsagh-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-... https://wccc.myentries.org/contest/results/?event=61&eventCl... They won first place in America a…

Come on. That last is obviously a "championship" which is completely biased towards American style and palate, and probably only has a very few non-American cheeses in the competition. It is run by the Wisconsin Cheese Makers Association, and might not even have many submissions that aren't from Wisconsin. They only list styles and winners but it is transparently biased/primarily local. Similar comments can be made for the American Cheese Society link.

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#19

Post by LoSboccacc »

crispyambulance wrote: post #6
AdmiralAsshat wrote: post #3

>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,…

eh... 6 months is really stretching it! Once it has been cut from the wheel, the usable life will be a few weeks maybe a couple months max if properly stored. While it may not mold, it will desiccate and become hard and waxy. You might not be able to tell if you're just grating it finely, but if you're cutting off slivers it will taste different when it's been sitting for too long in the fridge. Local Italian and gou…

real parmigiano doesn't have preservatives so it'll mold in a month after opening; grana padano usually does have and will last longer; both will become dry in time after opening.

in genera both tastes ok even when they dry out, albeit they gets saltier; if one eats cheese slowly, I'd suggest to get one relatively younger (i.e. 9 months) so as the flavor matures it doesn't get overly strong.

they both contain a lot of cholesterol and lot of calories, so I wouldn't call them miracle food, but they do have some nice properties, like they're some of the few cheeses that are suitable for lactose intolerant people (still not for lactose allergic people but ymmv) which makes them a good source of calcium.

Re: Parmigiano-Reggiano: Italy's 'practically perfect' food

#20

Post by wenc »

arthursilva wrote: post #4

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

I love my Parmigiano-Reggiano too, but agree, it is not a perfect food (perfect in the sense of "complete"). It doesn't have much fiber for instance.
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