Italian hard Parmesan cheese

Ancient companion of man is cheese. And the Italian hard Parmesan cheese is not just something Italian food does not do without - it's the pride of Italy. In written sources, the mention of Parmesan is first dated to the 13th century. In Italy Parmesan is a cheese with a thousand-year history. Historians believe that the recipe for this cheese was invented by Benedictine monks. They badly needed a sort of cheese that could be kept long enough. The ability to long-term storage has become the reason for Parmezan's popularity. Today, let's talk more about this product!

The technology of production of this cheese has been honed already in the period between 1200 - 1300 years. In these years, Parmesan cheese has acquired so unique a unique taste that a law was passed banning changes in the production and recipe of Parmigiano Reggiano. And already in the beginning of the XVI century Parmesan cheese became the subject of export to England, France and other countries.

"Parmigiano-Reggiano" is Italian hard cheese, referring to hard cheeses. Production has many nuances and limitations. The production of cheese begins on April 1, and ends on the eleventh of November. Then the cheese should ripen for thirty-six months. Annually, cheese is made from milk from two hundred and seventy cows. For cooking only one kilogram of real Italian hard Parmesan cheese leaves sixteen liters of milk. Not every milk is suitable for making this type of cheese. Milk is taken only from those cows that were born and grown in several areas of the cities - Parma, Reggio, Emilia, Modena, Mantua and Bologna. Strictly monitor the ration of burenok. They are fed only grass from the local meadows and fresh hay harvested there. There are no additives in the cows' feeds, they are strictly followed, as changes in the diet will change the milk. And such milk will not be suitable for the production of the famous cheese.

So, what is the technology of making Parmesan cheese. Take lightly skimmed milk of evening milking and mix it with whole milk of morning milking. The resulting mixture is heated to 33-34 degrees and then added to it natural enzymes (the leaven is obtained from the gastric juice of the calf's calf). Very quickly, after ten minutes, the mixture of milk is curdled and a clot is obtained. With a special tool, the bunch is cut into small pieces, and heated to 55-56 degrees. Then, using a natural cloth, remove the whey, and without it the cheese is cooked for about an hour. After cooking Parmesan cheese reaches 6-7 hours. Only after that it is shifted into wooden forms, on the inner side surfaces of which there are small protuberances. This is how the inscriptions "Parmigiano-rijano" appear on the heads of the finished cheese. Under the oppression in wooden forms, the cheese will spend several days, and then it will be placed in a saturated salt solution for no less than twenty-five days. After salting, the cheese heads are laid out on the shelves, where they pass the process of prolonged aging. Exposure is at least a year, the most valuable will be the cheese that was kept in the Parma microclimate from 24 to 36 months. Some cheese can be aged for up to ten years at low temperatures. The more aging, the Italian cheese is firmer and has a more delicate taste. The finished head of cheese, well aged at a diameter of only fifty centimeters can weigh forty kilograms.

Parmesan cheese is not only the pride of Italy, its history and cooking, but also art. Thanks to this cheese there is an unusual profession - Parma rumor. They set the maturity of cheese heads due to hearing, hitting the cheese with a small silver hammer. In Italy, Parmesan cheese is called "grain", as it has a granular appearance on the fracture. A pleasant sharp aroma and brackish dense taste has only fully ripened cheese. It is often used in grated form, since it is very difficult to cut.

There are several varieties of Italian hard Parmesan cheese. At the maturity of a little more than a year. This is a young cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano fresco. Such a variety is good as an aperitif, and as a dessert. It is combined with various fruits. Two-year-old cheese - Parmigiano Reggiano vecchio. And the Parmigiano cheese Reggiano stravecchio is an old cheese with an exposure of up to 36 months. This kind of cheese is good to use in grated form.

Italian cuisine is hard to imagine without Parmezan. He and a wonderful dessert that is served with fruits and grated in a magnificent seasoning for various dishes. Soups, pasta, risotto, vegetable casseroles, various salads and many other dishes are inconceivable without Parmigiano, grated on a fine grater. A piece of young cheese with a glass of wine at the end of dinner is simply magnificent.

Let's talk a little about the properties of this cheese. Parmesan is a source of protein, concentrated and easily assimilated. Including it contains various vitamins and mineral compounds (calcium, fluoride), which makes Parmesan an excellent and useful product. Since this cheese is easily digested, so it is recommended for children and the elderly. Due to its nutritional qualities, cheese is included in the ration of athletes and cosmonauts.

We all know that cheese is delicious, but it is not a dietary product. It contains a lot of fat and, after eating just a hundred grams of cheese, we get almost three hundred and fifty kilocalories at once. So if you want to lose weight, then sit at a table away from the cheese plate. Especially as the cheese is fatter, so it tastes better. In addition, doctors recommend that people suffering from migraine attacks limit the use of cheese.

And for those who do not suffer from excess weight and do not suffer from headaches, even the smallest piece of fine cheese will only bring benefit and cheer up. Cheese gives us a feeling of satiety, since there are more proteins in it than in meat and fish. Our body will receive vitamins and minerals when consuming cheese. Cheese is useful for the normal operation of our nervous system, improve the condition of the skin and hair. Hard cheese will help our eyes and strengthen the bones. They say that those who like cheese rarely visit the dentist. Cheese, having an alkaline reaction, restores the acid-base balance in our mouth. Now you know everything about the Italian hard Parmesan cheese, which will please you not only with its taste qualities, but also with useful properties. Eat cheese for health.