The 10 Greatest Parmesan Cheeses for Creating Superb Pasta!

A meal of spaghetti is never complete without a dusting of parmesan! With its flexibility in pasta, risottos, soups, and so much more, parmesan is a favorite among many of us.

Yet, parmesan from the United States and parmesan from Italy are two distinct varieties of cheese. This article examines the distinctions between the two, as well as some of the finest parmesan cheese available from each. We also discuss the nutritional value of parmesan and several wonderful ways to use up the rind from a block of parmesan.

Considerations When Purchasing Parmesan Cheese

The first parmesan cheese was made in Italy some 900 years ago by Cistercian and Benedictine monks in Parma and Reggio Emilia.

Parmigiano-Reggiano is one of the few foods high in umami, or the first flavor that our taste receptors recognize in addition to salt, sweet, bitter, and sour.

The Distinction Between American and Italian Parmesan Cheese

Any firm grated cheese is often referred to as parmesan. According to the FDA, a hard cheese does not have to originate from Italy to be called parmesan. In the United States, parmesan must be made from fresh whole milk, cream, skim milk, or even reconstituted dry milk. The cheese should also have a granular texture, a brittle and firm rind, and be easy to grate. It does not have to be created in Italy; it may be made in the United States.

But, parmesan is a bit more tricky inside the European Union.

Under European law, a variety of cheeses (as well as other foods) have what is known as Protected Designation of Origin, or PDO status. This implies that the cheese’s makers must adhere to tight criteria on manufacturing, maturing, and geographical limits.

While most of us think of Italian hard cheese or parmesan, we are really thinking about Parmigiano Reggiano, often known as parmesan. This parmesan translation is likewise protected by European legislation as a PDO; parmesan obtained its Italian PDO in 1955.

Purchasing Italian parmesan also entails paying a premium since the cheese must be imported from Italy. However, this means that Italian parmesan is more of a luxury commodity that will not be affordable to everyone.

Cheeses Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano

Parmigiano Reggiano, sometimes known as The King of Cheeses, is a high-quality Italian hard cheese. Only in the northern Italian regions of Emilia-Romagna or Lombardy can Parmigiano Reggiano be produced.

This cheese is created from pure and unpasteurized cow’s milk from a herd fed on grass and hay since this diet produces more complexly flavored milk and the absence of pasteurization enables the flavor-adding microbes to stay in the milk.

The cheese must be aged for at least one year, and sometimes three or more. If an Italian parmesan has the appellation Vecchio, it has been matured for 18 to 24 months, whereas Stravecchio has been aged for two to three years.

In Italy, around 490 dairies presently make Parmigiano Reggiano. A wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano weighing at least 66 kg requires around 600 gallons of milk. To begin the curdling process, the milk is partially skimmed and mixed with starting culture. To aid additional curd formation, animal-origin rennet is added, and the mixture is agitated to enable some of the moisture to evaporate. After that, the curds are shaped into wheels and placed in salt baths for taste and preservation. A PDO Parmigiano Reggiano cannot have any additional ingredients added to it.

After the salt bath, the cheese is placed on a rack in a temperature-controlled environment to mature. When the cheese ages, it produces lactic acid, which causes the proteins in the cheese to bind together and drive out the moisture. As these proteins are broken down into amino acids, they provide a nutty flavor to the cheese.

The lipids are broken down into free fatty acids, which provide the cheese taste, and esters, which give the cheese fruitiness when coupled with the cheese’s natural alcohol.

The crunchy crystals observed in Italian hard cheeses are likewise the result of chemical processes. These crystals are the amino acids tyrosine, which appears as crystals, and leucine, which appears as bigger white crystals or pearls.

After aging, Parmigiano Reggiano is examined, and if it passes, the name of the cheese, the year it was manufactured, and the PDO seal are imprinted into its rind. Only Parmigiano Reggiano matured for at least 24 months is often shipped. Unpasteurized cheese may be imported into the United States if it is more than 60 days old.

Grana Padanoparmesano, like Parmigiano Reggiano, is manufactured from cow’s milk and only has to mature for a minimum of nine months. Grana Padano is also produced in a much greater area, has a less concentrated taste, and is sweeter than Parmigiano Reggiano. It is also less expensive.

Pecorino Romano is prepared from sheep’s milk and matured for five to eight months in Sardinia, Lazio, or Grosseto, Tuscany. Pecorino Romano has a sharper taste and more tang than Parmigiano Reggiano. It is also lighter in color, with a black rind.

Vegetarian Vegan Parmesan

While non-animal rennet parmesans are available, they cannot be legally termed parmesan in the European Union since they are not prepared using calf rennet.

Using Parmesan Rinds

There’s no need to toss away parmesan rinds. The rind forms when the cheese matures. While it is totally edible, its hardness makes it difficult to consume, but it may be used in cooking since it contains the whole taste of the cheese.

The rind does not dissolve when cooked; rather, it softens. For more umami, add it to sauces, risottos, or soups, or boil it with herbs to produce a parmesan broth. The rinds may be be stored in the refrigerator for months or frozen.

Nutritional Value

The salt content of American parmesan is higher than that of Italian hard cheeses. Since they are smaller wheels, their increased surface area attracts salt quicker than Italian wheels that might be three times the size.

A one-ounce portion of Italian parmesan provides about 18% of our sodium%DV (% Daily Value) and includes:

It also provides 31% of our calcium%DV, 20% of our phosphorous%DV, and 11% of our vitamin B12%DV.

Keeping Parmesan

While there are various methods to store parmesan, the simplest is to place it in a zipper bag, press all the air out, and zip it up; alternatively, use plastic wrap. When exposed to air, parmesan begins to become white and its rind thickens. You may address this by wrapping the parmesan in moist cheesecloth and plastic wrap and refrigerating it overnight. The rejuvenated cheese may then be used the following day and re-wrapped in plastic wrap or a zipper bag.

Conclusion

There is a parmesan for everything, whether you want shredded parmesan to top your pasta or a block to offer with appetizers. Parmesans manufactured in the United States are inexpensive, widely accessible, and do not usually need to be refrigerated until opened. Italian parmesans are more difficult to get and more expensive since they must be imported and frequently supplied cold.

We hope you liked and found our post about parmesan cheese interesting, whether you are a cheese connoisseur or a casual chef. We also hope that this post will assist you in selecting the finest parmesan cheese for spaghetti, among other things.