PDO area of Production of Parmesan Parmigiano Reggiano cheese.

Where this famous Italian cheese is made.

by Gabriele Monti November 6th, 2012

A while ago the consortium of the Parmigiano Reggiano made the map below to explain where the cheese is made, in order to educate consumers and tourists about the area of production.

Protected designations of origin.

The PDO is a food labelling standard that you find in Europe to protect food that has to be made only in certain areas. This is the case of Parmesan cheese, which is required to be made from the milk coming from the production area. The organoleptic characteristics of the raw materials will be transferred in the final product. Therefore you cannot make parmigiano reggiano using milk coming from other areas, simply because the outcome will not be the same.

The discipline of cheese making.

The consortium has a discipline that imposed on each producer. The discipline is nothing else than a set of strict rules made according our ancient tradition. In short to make the cheese you need the right raw material: high quality milk and of course the skills the knowledgeable cheese masters of Emilia.

Bologna and Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bologna produces the parmesan cheese only on the left bank of river Reno. In total there are only 10/12 producers in this province. If you stay in Bologna and decide to take a cheese tour, it is most likely that you will have to go to Modena to see the production.

Modena.

Coming from east, Modena is where the real parmigiano production starts. The area is of a particular interest if we look at the parmesan cheese produced on the Appenini mountains which is said to have a higher quality. This is probably due to the better water and air, being away from the industrial areas. In Modena is also possible to find organic parmesan produced from heirloom cows such as the bianca Modenese.

Mantova

Although being in Lombardy and not in Emlia Romagna, Mantua falls in the production area. in fact there are several producers of the cheese in the area south of the Po’ River. Mantova is also a producer of Grana Padano.

Reggio Emlia – The cradle of cheese making.

Bibbiano is a small town about 20 km south of Reggio Emlia, it is the confirmed cradle of the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. We have the first written accounts of the cheese of Parma dating back at least 9 centuries. Reggio Emilia is often overlooked by the tourists but is well worth a stop if you are interested in food.

Parma and the cheese of.

Parma along with Reggio Emlia shares highest production amounts of the area. Also the town already confirmed itself as world’s gourmet destination and food basket of Italy.

Visiting and touring a Parmesan cheese dairy in Emilia Romagna, Italy.

It is possible to visit the dairies however it is best to arrive at least the day before since the cheese is only made once a day and it is early in the morning. In the past we organised tours for people staying in Milan or in Florence, and thanks to the high speed trains it is now possible to arrive early in the morning for the visits. Emlia Delizia is a proud organiser of Parmesan cheese tours in Italy from Modena, Bologna and Parma.

where parmesan cheese is made — Parmesan cheese production area.

A food and wine tour of the Langhe in Piedmont Italy

Touring the Langhe in Piedmont – an area dedicated to good wine and good food.

In the Langhe region in Italy there are many families who have mastered the art of wine making. They are indeed many, or maybe just about everybody makes great wine.

In this part of Italy every family famous or not, when a child was born they used to put away a bottle to be opened on the day of his or her greatest age. No wonders that here in the Langa, as they call the gently corrugated hills, you will find the most important wines of Italy, namely Barolo, Barbaresco, Monforte, la Morra. The roads that follow the ridges of the hills, or rather “Langa” are dotted with ancient castles whose names have made the history of Italy and the Savoy family.

They have manicured gardens, marked with chalk lines which appear near the combed vineyard. The area has 4 regional wine estates which are making Barolo, Barbaresco, and Mango (The hills of Moscato ). Every year in Grinzane Cavour’s castle a literary prize is awarded, this is done between the products of 105 wineries and 12 distilleries. From the Nebbiolo grapes wines like a Barolo and Barbaresco are obtained . They are full-bodied red wines and the first Italian DOCG. It was granted in 1981, and since then other products have gained recognition: Nebbiolo, Barbera d’Alba, Moscato d’Asti, four different Dolcetto (Alba, Dogliani, Langhe Monregalesi and the famous hazelnuts from the Langhe.

The areas from Santa Vittoria d ‘Alba, Diano d’Alba, Freisa, Verduno Pelaverga all have a solid wine market and protection of their products. Just talking about these wine would fill pages, but the Langhe are much more than just wine. Bra and Murazzano are important locations for cheese production, while the western parts of the area near Cuneo produce a blue cheese which is named: Castelmagno.

Regarding beef there is an important native cow: Carrù. It is the most important Piedmontese breed. The ox’s thighs are large, and the are the triumph of mixed boiled meats (bollito misto) traditionally served on the days of the Piedmont cattle market. Also Cherasco is a celebrated culinary triumph. Then we have La Morra, which is the City of Snail. Finally we should not to forget to mention the local truffles. Of course it is the white variety and here is used grated without sparing on a dish called “tajarin” or on eggs. For the higher part of the area the so called “Alta Langa” among its contributions to gourmet food we find a pear called Madernassa, the potatoes of Mombarcaro and the hazelnut Tonda Gentile delle Langhe a product of higher quality. Its organoleptic triumphs is then seen in the nougat from the area. At the end of our tour we have Alba the City of Wine and Truffle with very important events dedicated to good food and good taste.

Brescia – Franciacorta an area near lake Iseo dedicated to spumante wines

by Gabriele Monti December 3rd, 2012

The Franciacorta area is a moraine located in the south-east of Lake lseo, bordered by the Montorfano area and the rivers of Oglio and Mella. The nearby town of Brescia was the playground of the aristocratic and the rich during the seventeenth and the eighteenth century. I was the equivalent of the Brianza . It was the noble Milanese garden of delights, where the rich build villas and devote themselves to agriculture.

Carzano, Lago d'Iseo — Lake Iseo a stunning location between Bergamo and Brescia – Image source.

The name of the district, Franciacorta, has nothing to do with France but refers to the ancient wording from the Latin FRANCAE CURTIS. The monks and priests were granted the courts of this land to be farmed. They were free all taxes and excises. The privilege of privileges, it what we say today given the exceptional vocation of wine making of this region. The climate is mild and windy optimal for the vines.
Today’s wine makers achieved one of the most interesting Italian wine projects of recent decades: to produce a wine that can arise in the collective imagination as an alternative to champagne. We call it SPUMANTE.
The name of Franciacorta automatically refers to “Bubbles” or high quality sparkling wines. Today the DOCG is the highest recognition of quality which was sanctioned in 1995 and it covers the Franciacorta wines too. This was a dream come true with the colour of straws with the greenish reflections and hints of gold which are the typical colours of the Franciacorta wines. The production is subject to fermentation in the bottle of at least 18 months. The whole process from havers to to commercialisation takes at least 25 months, in order to guarantee the high quality these bottles.

The wine tour of Franciacorta can stretch over an area of about 80 km. It starts from Brescia to Erbusco, which is also the home of the Consortium right in the hearth of the wine area. These medieval towns are located on the hills. In the centre you will find the thirteenth-century parish churches. The beautiful seventeenth and eighteenth centuries villas are all around as witnesses of the aristocratic past.
The whole area is very close to the Lake lseo. Here you will find the largest lake island of Italy: Montisola, also known for his intensely flavoured salami. In the kitchen the protagonist is fish. Tench is stuffed and baked, also you will find eel, whitefish and trout in the menus. Olive oil is the extra virgin olive from the Italian Lakes PDO. The landscape is stunning, furthermore Zorzino and Castro should not be missed.

A tour in the hearth of the culinary tradition of Tuscany

by Gabriele Monti December 3rd, 2012

The gastronomic heart of Tuscany is found on the Tuscan hill: the Apennines with the flavours of the mountains, and certainly by Tyrrhenian Sea with seafood. Tuscany is mainly a hilly land and with lots of vineyard and olive trees, sunflowers, fruit orchards, woodland and pasture. A lot of elevated ground of various kind distributed over a vast territory. It is mostly cultivated and full of small scattered villages such as the Chianti area. This land is covered in lush green raging from chestnut trees to the blonde cereals in Garfagnana, then it is sometimes barren and mostly made of clay such as the Maremma which is also wild and fascinating.

It is equally varied in its basket of agricultural products that benefits from a benevolent climate influenced by the sea and by a widespread environmental integrity. Wine and oil are the main typical Tuscan food: the former with labels that will make you dream, such as Chianti Classico and Brunello di Montalcino, the latter with a production that has no equal for culinary tradition. Then we should talk about the cattle breeding. Both traditional breeds of cattle, Chianina and Maremma, provide meat for the grill and the classic cooking in clay. Also pork is important, namely Cinta Senese. Breeders are there to restore an antique flavour of meats to be used fresh or cured as prosciutto and finocchiona. As for the cheese it is worth to mention the local productions of Marzolino of Chianti.

Other agricultural products are also worth to mention as they are really outstanding For example the beans of Sorana and Pratomagno, are so important for traditional Tuscan cooking, and they are fundamental for the pasta e fagioli.
There is also the Garfagnana spelt. A wheat with an ancient history, it used for soups and it is worshipped by the health-conscious. Going along we should also mention the the saffron of San Gimignano, which was a source of great wealth in medieval times, and today it is used to rediscover of ancient recipes.

The food and wine tour begins in Florence, which provides a complete overview of the regional cuisine ranging from ribollita, Florentine steak, pappa al pomodoro to pappardelle with hare and the devilled chicke. There is also a great tradition of grilled dishes such as truffled pasticcio pie and the use of offal deriving from the medieval cuisine. There is so much choice in a region that has a very long vocation for tourism and gastronomy. Along the sea we find Prato with its Medici villas and the Carmignano wine, and the cantucci biscuits. Then It is followed by Pistoia and Lucca, famous for the olive oil production, and the traditional cuisine from Versilia and Garfagnana.

By the shore of the Tyrrhenian Sea lays Massa-Carrara, on a double gastronomic border, with accents of the Liguria and the Lunigiana cuisine. Walking down the Via Aurelia through the scenarios of the Maremma you will touch Pisa, Livorno and Grosseto with a cuisine between the sea and the inner land. The standard fare is the famous fish soup and wild boar based dished, in its various preparations. If we move inland, near the territory of Siena, it lies the southern portion of the Chianti hills, with all that follows in terms of wine and oil. Further south there are undulated, barren and clay perfumed hills. Here you will find the most popular sheep in the region of the Mount Amiata, where the woods come to the border with Umbria. From there you can start investigating Arezzo and its province including Val di Chiana which is the home of Vino Nobile di Montepulciano, and the mountains of the Casentino. Here the cooking is done mostly with meat, mushrooms and game.