Parmesan cheese is an Italian cheese with a characteristically strong and nutty flavor that may be sweet, salty, and bitter at the same time. It has a crumbly, grainy texture and may vary in color from light to dark yellow menu.
Unlike most other types of cheese, it has a protect designation of origin (PDO) set by the European Union (EU) สมัคร ufabet
This means that within the EU, only cheese make in the traditional production locations. The northern Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantua. May be called and sold as Parmesan or Parmigiano-Reggiano.
How is it made?
In addition to being produced in specific Italian regions. Parmesan cheese is made exclusively with the milk of cows bred in the same area. A mix of Italian Frisona, Bianca Modenese, brown, and red cows.
The manufacturing process dates back to the Middle Ages. When monks develop a dry-paste cheese assembled into large wheels weighing up to 39 pounds (18 kilograms) each. These were suited for long-term preservation.
Parmesan is made through a process called rennet coagulation. Rennet is a group of animal enzymes used to start the coagulation (solidifying) process. Calf rennet is the most commonly use animal rennet.
Rennet-coagulated cheeses are traditionally make through these seven steps :
- Setting: Cow’s milk starts to coagulate from the addition of rennet. Liquid whey starts to separate from a firm curd of casein micelles, milk’s main type of protein.
- Cutting: Once the curd has formed. It’s cut into rice-size pieces to further promote the expulsion of whey and reduce the cheese’s moisture content. This is done using a traditional tool called a spino.
- Cooking: The mixture of curd and whey is cooked at 131°F (55°C) to promote curd contraction and further whey expulsion.
- Draining: Once cooked, a mass of cheese is formed. And the whey is drained to separate it from what will become the cheese.
- Knitting: The curd continues to fuse to form a larger cheese mass.
- Pressing: Like knitting, pressing helps with whey expulsion and promotes a complete fusion of the curd. It’s done by applying external pressure to the curd. A mold is then used to form the recognizable Parmesan wheels.
- Salting: This last step reduces the moisture of the cheese. The wheels are submerged in saltwater or brine. Which allows for salt absorption.
After salting, the maturation or ripening, period begins.
The ripening time can range from 12 months to more than 40 months. The total maturation time determines the final texture and flavor of the cheese.