Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio

What is Parmigiano Reggiano Stravecchio Cheese?

Parmigiano Reggiano is made in the Italian provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia, in Modena, in the part of Bologna west of the River Reno, and in the part of Mantua south of the Po. The first written record of the cheese is from 1254, and Boccaccio was praising it by 1348. Stravecchio is the same cheese carried well past the minimum maturing time.

Production starts with unpasteurised cow's milk: whole morning milk mixed with the naturally skimmed milk of the previous evening, pumped into copper-lined vats. Whey starter goes in, the mixture is warmed to 33 to 35 C (91 to 95 F), and calf rennet sets it in 10 to 12 minutes. The curd is cut to about the size of rice grains, heated to 55 C (131 F), then left to settle for 45 to 60 minutes and moulded. Each wheel spends 20 to 25 days in brine before the aging rooms.

A finished wheel stands 18 to 24 cm (7 to 9 in) high, measures 40 to 45 cm (16 to 18 in) across and weighs about 38 kg (84 lb). The paste is dry, hard and grainy. It tastes sharp, salty and savory, with the strong umami that comes from a glutamate level as high as 1.2 g per 100 g. At 12 months a master grader taps every wheel with a small hammer, listening for cracks and voids inside.

Most of it is grated over pasta, stirred into soups and risotto, or shaved onto salads. Chunks of the hard crust get simmered in broths and sauces for flavor, broiled as a snack when free of wax, infused in olive oil, or dropped into a steamer basket with vegetables.