The history of Parmigiano-Reggiano

The only cheese of its kind in the world.
Why this cheese is unique
Parmigiano-Reggiano is considered by the gourmet and connoisseur to be the only cheese worthy of ordaining all kinds of pasta dishes, which once tasted is never forgotten. Its rich and historical background makes it one of the world's most highly prized cheeses ( for many, second to none ) . Whether eaten at a king's court or peasant's cottage, this cheese will remain one of life's simple pleasures.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is the name given to this cheese which has its origins in Northern Italy, more precisely in the areas around Parma and Reggio Emilia. It is still made according to ancient traditional craftsmanship methods which have stood the test of time. The characteristics of this cheese are its natural preservative - free ingredients which produce a wonderful crumbly grainy crystal - like texture which is not cut but wedged open. Together with its long ageing process of at least twelve months, digestibility and aroma, it is the ideal cheese for a healthy diet.

An integrity preserved for eight hundred years
Parmigiano-Reggiano is called "the great cheese of eight centuries" because the ancient formula has remained unchanged throughout 800 years of history which has transformed the face of continents. Today's cheese is the same as that enjoyed by the armoured knights, bonded serfs and saints of history. Records dating back to 1200-1300 AD describe the characteristics of Parmigiano-Reggiano as they have been handed down to this day. One can therefore assume that the real origins of the cheese date back to much earlier, to the fine, but as yet unstandardized cheeses extolled by early Latin writers, and that the cheesemaking techniques developed in that epoch achieved in Parmigiano-Reggiano a crystallization which has withstood the test of time.

The maker and the artisan
The first craftsmen to recognise the combination of qualities which still proclaims Parmigiano-Reggiano a king among cheeses, must have realised that they had created something superb; that any further effort could only dilute the magnificence of the product. Perfection once reached can only be handed down, and its perpetuation becomes a ritual. Any labour of love pursued to its conclusion is crowned with glory, but as with any creative act, we acknowledge a natural, or divine, inspiration. Nature has indeed favoured the Parmigiano-Reggiano zone with a variety of bounties found nowhere else in the world: a combination of geological formation, and natural grazing land, resulting in a particularly fine quality of milk, which differs even from that of neighbouring dairy farming areas. It is the cheesemaker, however, who has respected the noble tradition of Parmigiano-Reggiano through the centuries, and now, in the age of universal mechanisation, refuses to cheapen his product for the sake of higher profits gained from assembly line production. The modern tempter with his test tubes and alluring figures is shamed by a smile behind which the ghosts of craftsmen-fathers line up, generation by generation, their voices echoing in chorus up the hollow tunnels of time:
"For seven hundred years and more we have paid the price of toil, obedience and experience for the right to live by creating something that kings and commoners proclaim good. Nothing but milk, rennet and fire ever went into the making of cheese".

Ancient Etruscan Records
In the Libro Novo, written by Cristoforo da Messisbugo, there is a citation of Parmeggiano in the menu quoted in the text. Another quotation is a text of the XVIth century commented by Apicius. The Latin fragment in the middle says: -"Two kinds of cheese are now competing for pre-eminence in Italy. These are the marzolino, thus named by the Etruscans because, in Etruria, they made it in March, and the "Parmigiano " of the Cisalpine region, otherwise known as the Maggengo from the month of May"-. The third quotation is an extract from a work by Francesco Maria Grapaldo, commenting on passages out of Vitruvius and other Latin authors: "Parmesan cheese: the cheese of Parma is today acknowledged to be the best in Italy, whereas at one time they took pride in the volume of their wool production. Hence, the couplet... these are the noble fruits of Parma's milk...".

The Decameron and other Records
It does not require laborious research to discover the historical antecedents of Parmigiano-Reggiano. The most noteworthy is found in the Decameron. The words of Boccaccio leave no doubt that the Parmigiano referred to by Maso when he tells the credulous Calandrino about the idler's paradise of Bengodi is the same cheese which today bears the name Parmigiano-Reggiano.
"...and there was a whole mountain of Parmigiano cheese, all finely grated, on top of which stood people who were doing nothing but making macaroni and ravioli". He adds that all these delicacies were being "rolled into the cheese after cooking, the better to season them". The same fine cheese was used then as now, for garnishing cooked pasta dishes.
Another of documents quotes from a XVIth century comment on Apicius, "de culinaria". The author, described on the front-page as "a man learned in every sense", not only reproduces the ten books by the Latin writer, but follows with his own medical-dietetic treatise.
Of particular interest is the high esteem in which he holds Parmigiano-Reggiano - "caseus parmensis" - which he considers the finest in Italy, rivalled only by the Etrurian cheese "marceolinus", or marzolino, a cheese which has been lost in history.

Dining in the century of Lucullus
The text which says, "in these days Italy's most valued product is the Parmigiano cheese, whereas at one time her great pride lay in her abundant wool production", also dates from the XVIth century. In the 1656 Francesco Serra's Dictionary of Synonyms mentions that "the names of cheeses derive from the localities where they are found at their best. Parmigiano, for example, owes its fame to its place of origin and to its excellence". In a recipe book of the same period, Cristoforo di Messisbugo describes a private dinner, prepared under his own instructions, given at his home on January 17th, 1543. The dessert course included as an accompaniment to pears and grapes, apple, peaches, kiwi and figs, "six platesful of Parmigiano cheese", a combination rediscovered by contemporary gourmets as a perfect finale to a grand dinner.

From Moliere to the correspondence of the Elders of Reggio
Many biographies of Moliere tell us that during his declining years, the great playwright lived primarily on Parmigiano cheese. Modern dieticians would approve. Parmigiano-Reggiano is often recommended for infants and the elderly because of its easy digestibility and high nutritional value. Other historical evidence of the cheese is found in the old hand-written records, preserved in the municipal offices of Reggio Emilia and Parma, which mention consignments of Parmigiano-Reggiano exported at that time to France, England and other countries of civilised Europe.
In a fragment of a letter taken from the "Correspondence of the Elders of Reggio Emilia" dated January 21st, 1536, the Elders, after hearing the complaints of a certain fellow-citizen Antonio Patacino, expressed a gentle indignation on learning that he was "compelled to pay duty on some Parmigiano-Reggiano he was taking with him into the Republic of Venice".

Still as good as in the good old days
Parmigiano-Reggiano is still making history. The most recent development is the official co-operation of some 650 small cheesemakers, representing 9,000 small dairy farmers. The producers have organised to gain legal recognition of their standardisation of quality, in much the same way as the fine wine consortia have done, in order to provide an absolute guarantee of authenticity.