Parmigiano Reggiano DOP 🧀

The history of Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia started long ago when a group of local breeders built its dairy in 1967. 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia’s name derives from a votive pillar that features the Virgin Mary in the four sides of her majesty and is located close to the present location. At the time, the design was considered futuristic because of its structural dimensions.

Among the approximately 300 dairies belonging to the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium, 4 Madonne Caseificio dell'Emilia is the only one to produce Parmigiano Reggiano in seven factories, located in the provinces of Modena, Bologna and Reggio Emilia , with approximately 80 employees.

Joe and the team visited them and were fascinated by the cheese making process and got to see over 30,000 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano stored at the facility!

PHASE 1

Once in the cauldron, the milk is heated slowly. During the process, the whey starter culture is added; a liquid mixture rich in lactic ferments obtained from the processing of the previous days’ milk.

The milk is heated to around 30 degrees and then the calf rennet is added. The mixture is stirred carefully then left to rest for 8-10 minutes to allow for natural coagulation. This produces the curd.

PHASE 2

In this phase the curd is broken into small granules, and the cheese maker checks that the curd has reached the right density.

A special tool, the ‘spino’, is used to break the curd, the same tool that has been used in this most important phase of the process for centuries.

PHASE 3

Using a wooden paddle, the solidified cheesy mass is removed and wrapped in the muslin - the only fabric used for this purpose because of its intrinsic properties of absorption and strength.

The mass is ready to be cut into 2 equal parts. Each half is placed in a plastic mould with a buckle known as ‘fascera’, and pressed down with a Teflon weight. This is how 2 wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are made.

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