FACT NO. 1
Parmigiano Reggiano can only be made in Italy.
‘PARMIGIANO REGGIANO’ A JOURNEY OF A THOUSAND YEARS
In the Middle Ages the Benedictine and Cistercian monks, committed to finding a cheese that could last long, were the first producers: using the salt from the Salsomaggiore salt mines and the milk of the cows bred in the granges, i.e. the farms belonging to the monasteries, the monks obtained a dry paste cheese in large wheels suitable for long preservation. Parmigiano Reggiano is produced exclusively in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna to the left of the Reno river, and Mantua to the right of the Po river: this is the area hosting the farms where the cattle are mainly fed on locally grown forage. The feeding of cattle complies with the norms of a strict specification that bans the use of silage, fermented feeds and animal flour.
In contrast, generic hard cheeses can be made anywhere. Some are made in the US, others are made in Argentina, Russia, Ukraine, and other countries, therefore the terrain can vary greatly. Also, other cheeses are not subject to the strict regulation, aging requirements, or quality standards of Parmigiano Reggiano.
