I don’t know about you, but my childhood memory of parmesan cheese is still very vivid. It came pre-grated one Thursday afternoon neatly wrapped in a green cardboard cylinder. Mom put it in the fridge for a long time until one day she finally opened it and decided to make spaghetti. Come on, admit it. The first time you met parmesan cheese involved spaghetti as well. But several years has passed since then. Gourmet shops are no longer just for big cities and Italian restaurants are already serving regional dishes on top of the classics. And since we are used to tasting a lot of things and making choices, perhaps it is time that we get to know Parmigiano Reggiano a little more; the cheese that is years away from being the parmesan that we know.

Parmigiano Reggiano is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk, medium fat and partly skimmed. It was initially made in a zone limited to the provinces of Parma, Reggio-Emilia and Modena, among other parts of the provinces of Mantua and Bolognia in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is naturally made sans the chemical preservatives and artificial additives. It is a living product that matures and evolves in flavor, like fine wine.

The Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is a time-tested cheese, although complex, it is still perfect served on its own. Simply break off small chunks, make paper thin silvers or cut it into bite size slices, and you are ready to serve! Everyone loves the taste of this cheese, and you can even pair it with a long list of other flavors that will highlight its sweetness.

This cheese is a staple for every Italian athlete’s diet, because it has protein, calcium and phosphorous, and it contains other vitamins and minerals such as B12, copper and zinc. But what makes this cheese very interesting is the way it is opened, or “cracked” from the wheel.

If you have not seen a Parmigiano Reggiano cut open or if you are wondering how the cutters were able to get through such craggy and ragged wedges, well do not be surprised if I tell you that those wedges are there for a reason. For some, breaking into the 24-month old Parmigiano Reggiano wheel is like “cracking open happiness”. This is because traditionally, opening it would need a specific set of tools 5 different kinds of knives to make sure that the crystalline structure and crumbly texture remain preserved and intact inside.

The Parmigiano Reggiano is an expression of the cheese maker’s sensibilities and judgment the maker decides every phase of production with his hands. That makes the Parmigiano Reggiano more than just a pasta ingredient, but a product of an intimate process. Why stop grating? Go ahead and try the Parmigiano Reggiano cheese today!