Selecting Parmigiano-Reggiano

Definitions
It is wise for the private consumer, uninitiated into the secrets of cheesemaking, to become familiar with the terms in which we define Parmigiano-Reggiano.
The cheese must be aged for a period no less than 12 months and must have the markings for identification on the rind: pin-dot writing, the dairy code, the month and year of production, the fire-marked oval brand of the Consorzio. It is of paramount importance to check that the pin-dot writing is not covered by oblique lines. These are stamped on the cheese which does not have sufficient qualitative characteristics to be recognized for the designation of origin Parmigiano-Reggiano.
The cheese however assumes its full and typical characteristic qualities only after a period of ageing which ranges from 18 to 24 months. The straw-coloured appearance of Parmigiano-Reggiano indicates that the milk used in its preparation has come from cattle fed on fresh fodder. The colour varies between a pale and a deep yellow straw shade, and it is always uniform throughout the cheese. Another typical feature is its "scaley" structure. Internally, the matured product forms long thin flakes radiating from, or converging towards, the centre.
The internal mass tends to be mellow soft minutely granulated, and dotted with barely visible holes. Although these traits remain constant, it is still possible to detect differences between individual cheeses. As is the case with any artisan product, each cheese has a touch of individuality

If someone wishes to assess the quality of a given cheese, attention should be paid to the following points:

1. Age: the year of production or "vintage" is shown in figures in two places on the side of the wheel having the requirements of the standards;
    
2. The degree of ageing: while this is closely related to the age of the cheese, and expert can infer it from its fragrance, and internal consistency. In the course of ageing, Parmigiano-Reggiano acquires a delicious creamy quality, which "melts in the mouth";
    
3. Organoleptic characteristics: flavour and fragrance are quite characteristic and unmistakable;
    
4. Internal structure: this presents a radial convergence from the periphery towards the centre of the wheel. When a matured cheese is cut according to good trade practice, it splits "open" in a straight line or slight curve;
    
5. Colour: the "body" of the cheese is uniform straw hue, which can vary from pale to deep yellow;
    
6. Consistency: this depends mainly on the degree of maturing granular texture, with the typical presence of crystals composed mainly by the aminoacid tyrosine. This indicates that the cheese has been aged for a proper time.

7. The rind or crust: in its natural formation, it is integral, has a healthy appearance, of an old gold shade and a thickness of about 6 millimetres.
    
8. Weight: the average cheese weighs from 33/40 Kgs.

The expert's way
Professional cheese-testers approach a Parmigiano-Reggiano with something not unlike the kind of gravity Harley Street doctors reserve for important patients. They hold the cheese-owner in suspense until all of the above eight points have been thoroughly checked.
The cheese-tester works with a percussion hammer, a screw-needle and a sampling dowel.
 

The cheese is then pierced with the screw-needle to extract a minute sample of the contents.
The resistance of the cheese indicates something of its internal consistency, and the sample enables the expert to judge the aroma and degree of maturation.
The sampling dowel is resorted to only in exceptional cases, when the afore-mentioned methods have failed to elicit a diagnosis.