The art of cheesemaking

How it is made

A few ingredients, time-honoured skills and patience transform milk into Parmigiano Reggiano.

Milk · salt · rennet

Made by hand, every day

Quality comes from the meeting of excellent raw ingredients and the cheesemaker’s judgement. These photographs and this story come from the company’s historical archive.

The cheesemaker breaks the curd with the spino — Breaking the curd

The cheese mass is lifted from the vat in its cloth — Lifting from the vat

The new wheel is placed in its mould — The wheel in its mould

Evening and morning milk
Raw milk reaches the dairy twice a day. The evening milk rests in large vats so the cream rises naturally and can be used for butter. In the morning, the partially skimmed milk is combined with fresh whole milk in traditional bell-shaped copper vats.
Whey starter, rennet and the spino
Natural whey starter, rich in lactic cultures from the previous day, and calf rennet are added. Once coagulated, the cheesemaker breaks the curd into tiny granules using the traditional whisk known as a spino.
Cooking and the twin wheels
The curd is heated to approximately 55°C. The granules settle and form a single mass which, after about fifty minutes, is lifted, wrapped in cloth and divided into two twin wheels.
The wheel’s identity card
Each wheel receives a casein plate with a unique alphanumeric code. A marking band then imprints the month and year of production, the dairy identification number and the familiar dotted Parmigiano Reggiano inscription on the rind.
Brining
After a few days, the wheel is immersed in a solution of water and salt. Osmosis salts the cheese and prepares it for its long stay in the ageing warehouse.
Ageing and official inspection
After at least twelve months, every wheel is inspected by experts from the Consortium. Only compliant wheels receive the firebrand and may continue ageing.