Italian cuisine is considered to be the first fully developed cuisine of all the countries of Latin Europe. Most experts, including “Larousse Gastronomique,” the bible of the French kitchen, agree that it officially became “the mother cuisine” in 1533, when Catherine de’ Medici journeyed from Florence to France for her marriage to the future King Henri II. She brought teams of expert cooks with her, and these culinary aristocrats shared the secrets of the most sophisticated cookery that had yet been developed. Culinary historians also agree that while Tuscany and Florence offer the purest of Italian cooking, Bologna la grassa — “Bologna the fat” — and the region of Emilia-Romagna offer the richest.
Here, three of Italy’s most admired and imitated foods are produced — Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, prosciutto ham, and Balsamic vinegar. You’ll taste these fabulous foods throughout Italy, but for a true appreciation of the roots of these three kings of Emilia-Romagna, head to Parma, city of art, music, ham, and cheese — not necessarily in that order.
Parmigiano-Reggiano, one of the world’s greatest cheeses, is made there in huge cylindrical wheels. An oval firebrand mark and the words “Parmigiano-Reggiano” spelled out in pin dots on the rind sets it apart from lesser quality cheeses or imitations. Made from the milk of local cows fed on the Po Valley’s green pasture land, the cheese is made from two different milkings — the evening milk rests overnight and is skimmed of its cream before being mixed with the next morning’s whole milk.
The mixture is heated, rennet is added to begin the curdling, and a giant metal whisk called a “spino” then separates the curds from the whey. The cheese is molded, pressed, and drained in a large hatbox-shaped container known as a “fascera.” It’s then soaked in a salt brine solution for nearly a month, drained, and stacked in a cellar to age for at least 24 months to complete its transformation into the nutty-flavored, grainy-textured cheese so popular on the Italian table.
Consortio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano, which oversees and protects production, also arranges dairy visits (Monday-Friday only) to see how the cheese is produced. For details, visit www.parmigiano-reggiano.it.
A perfect companion to this spectacular cheese — you might even say a result of it — prosciutto di Parma is ham made from a special breed of pigs reared in 11 regions of central-northern Italy. Their diet consists of grains, cereals, and the whey that’s drained from the curds in the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese-making process. The ham is made from the rear haunches of the pigs using only four essential ingredients — pigs, salt, air, and time — and additives of any kind are strictly forbidden.
Controlled curing allows only enough salt to preserve it, and in the end, a trimmed ham will have lost a quarter of its weight. A “maestro salatore” rubs just the right amount of salt onto the ham in two rubbings, and subsequent daily adjustments ensure that it’s cured with just enough to preserve its reputation as a “sweet ham.”
After about 70 days of hanging, the hams are washed to remove excess salt, hung again for three months in airy rooms to harden their skins, then left in dark cellars for at least 12 and as long as 30 months to continue curing. After a final test called “spillatura,” the hams are branded with the famous ducal seal of Parma to indicate its quality. Consorzio del Proscuitto di Parma (www.prosciuttodiparma.it) regulates all stages of production from pig feeding to aging.
Halfway between Parma and Bologna, Modena, the birthplace of Luciano Pavarotti, is also recognized as the place where the finest balsamic vinegar is produced. The raw materials used for the production of Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena (traditional balsamic vinegar from Modena) are locally grown trebbiano and lambrusco grapes. Once the grapes have been crushed, the “must” (concentrated grape pulp and juice) is separated from the stems and skins, filtered, and heated in a vat over a direct flame. Following a slow and lengthy boil, the concentrated must, which is reduced in volume by 30 percent to 50 percent, is taken from the vat and left to cool.
During the “rincalzo,” the cooled must is decanted and transferred through a series of smaller casks made from woods like oak, cherry, chestnut, mulberry, juniper, and ash and ultimately into the final vessel. Each year the vinegar is transferred to different wood barrels so that it is enriched by the flavors of the woods. Once this is done, the balsamic vinegar matures in the silence of the “acetaie” (vinegar making facility), where it’s left to age and be inspected periodically. The end result is a richly lustrous, dark brown liquid that’s characterized by a dense syrupy consistency. It has a complex aroma that is at the same time pleasant and pungent with a note of acidity. To rank in the “classico” category, the vinegar should be aged at least 12 years; to be called “extra vecchio,” aging must last for more than 25 years.
The inimitable sweet and sour zest is what adds such character to dishes using traditional balsamic vinegar, and purists love the simplicity of a small drizzle on a slice of Parmigiano-Reggiano. Like its cheese and ham counterparts in Parma, in 2000, the European Union assigned it a DOP (protected origin designation) to distinguish it from inferior vinegars produced without such rigid standards. There are fewer than 20 producers in the province of Modena, some of which offer tours, and a few with restaurants whose menus feature it. For a complete list, visit www.balsamico.it.
Parma Golosa (www.parmagolosa.it) organizes visits to cheese, ham, and vinegar production sites in the Parma/Modena area; Salumificio la Perla (www.salumificiolaperla.it) arranges tours and tasting sessions of prosciutto di Parma; and Pro Loco Langhirano (www.prolocolanghirano.it) is a cultural center devoted to prosciutto production.
