"parmigiano reggiano" news and stories

Selecting the appropriate cheeses for a pizza involves finding the perfect balance of textures and tastes between all the ingredients, whether vegetables or meats. Apart from the standards like mozzarella, the options are limitless, ranging from Swiss Gruyère to Italian Gorgonzola Dolce. We spoke to pizza masters Jim Lahey, owner of Co. and NYC's renowned Sullivan St. Bakery, and Andrew Feinberg, owner of Franny's and Bklyn Larder, to find out where to begin.

These lacy, crisp and cheesy discs are an easy indulgence.

This dry, aged cheese is made in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, and subjected to rigorous standards of production, labeling and inspection.

Do you find the idea of selecting cheese for a dinner party daunting? Here's a quick guide to arranging a cheese course.

Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a hard, dry cheese made in Italy. In fact, the name is trademarked and only cheese from a certain region - mostly around the areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna and Mantua in Italy - can officially be called Parmigiano Reggiano. Similar cheeses made outside this area are called simply parmesan cheese. The cheese has been produced in the same way for the past 800 years. The Consorzio del Formagio Parmigiano Reggiano has published a "multimedia journey" on their website that takes you through the steps of making this cheese. To summarize the process, however, a blend of whole and part skim milk is cooked in huge copper kettles, to which a cultured whey starter is added. This starter contains the precise bacteria needed to start the development of the cheese and is refreshed every day from the prior day's cheese making. Rennet, a thickening enzyme, is added and the cheese mixture is heated gently to expel water from the curds. The partially dry cheese is molded, salted and finally set to age. Parmigiano Reggiano should age for over 24 months to develop optimum flavor and texture, though the minimum aging is 12 months.