Hello,
Today we hopped in the Chef Paulo’s small SUV and headed to Parma, a town infamous for its Parmaggiano Reggiano cheese. The journey brought us out of Tuscany and over the summit of the Appenine Alps which create the spine of central Italy. After summiting mountain passes, the landscape gave way to a broad flat Po Valley which bears similar resemblance to California’s Central Valley. Not surprisingly, the area is known for its cows and its pigs.
In order to bear the name Parmigiano-Reggiano, the cheese must come from specific type of cow which eats only a certain type of grass. Parmagiano-Reggiano takes a whole day to make in one of these buckets below whereas other cheese, such as Buffalo Mozzarella, can be made almost instantly.
Each one of those blocks behind us in the picture below is worth 400 Euro. Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese is certified with a special encoded pattern to guarantee it’s the real thing - much like currency.
Our next stop was a Prosciutto facility and farm in the hills near Langhirano. Prosciutto from the Parma area is considered the best by Italians and is typically differentiated form other Prosciutto by its sweeter and slightly less salty flavor. Chef Paulo took us right in the facility and grabbed a piggie poker (narrow piece of horse bone) to show us how to inspect pork legs. The piggie poker is inserted into the pig leg and removed to check for any funny smells.
Since olive trees don’t grow well in the harsher climate of the Po Valley, the dishes tend to rely more on butter and cream much like continental Europe. We had the best buttered ravioli we’ve ever tasted along with this refreshing sparkling Rose made from the local red Lambruzzo grape. Very tasty complex for a Rose and for 5 Euros the price is right.
Our final stop was the town of Modena which is known as the birthplace of Ferrari and the world’s best Balsamic Vinegar. The Balsamic Vienegar is made from 100% Lambruzzo grapes grown locally with absolutely no other ingredients. White wine vinegar is made from the local Trebbiano grape. Below is a picture of the wooden casks the vinegar ages in.
These can be made from several types of wood. Many of the casks you see below date back 25, 50, 75, and even 100 years. The room was soooo hot because that’s part of the aging process for the vinegar - hot in the summer, cool in the winter. It was 100 degrees outside so I had a sweat attack and had to leave the premises.
Why does seeing the 400 Euro Parmigiano-Reggiano make me feel better about shelling out for the $8 hunks sold here?
When you two return to beautiful San Francisco, I'm taking you here http://www.uvaenoteca.com/
Posted by: Sara Mesing | August 20, 2009 at 09:45 PM