Parma, Italy

For most people, a trip to Italy means the art in Florence, the fashions in Milan, the ruins in Rome, or the canals in Venice. For me, it is all about the food. My itinerary consists of perfect cappuccinos in the morning, panini and pizza at lunch, pasta and wine at dinner, and gelato on the way to the Coliseum and the Uffizi. But first, I want to see how Parmigiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma are made. To do this I have to go to the source: Parma.
    With Florence as home base, all it takes to get to Parma is a train ride through rolling hills occasionally dotted with Tuscan villas. The two-hour, 4:30 a.m. trip is an opportunity to talk with other travelers. Having a Eurail train pass makes getting around a breeze.
Parmigiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma are like many regional products—Champagne, San Francisco sourdough and Napa Valley cabernet. These foods capture the special features of the land, the terroir.
    First stop is the Consorzio Produttori Latte dairy, one of 416 in the region. From the outside the modest brick building presents a signless, inconspicuous façade—but inside is where all the action takes place.
    I meet up with Cristiana Clerici from the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano. Established in 1934, the consorzio maintains and protects the name recognition and quality of the cheese. “We regulate everything,” she says, “and enforce the boundaries of the region—from what the cows eat to the production and aging process—to uphold a 900-year-old tradition.”
    When the door to the production room opens, the aroma of whey floods the senses. There is a buzz of efficiency as workers don white rubber boots, floor-length white aprons and white hats.
    The first step in making the cheese takes place at the farm. The cows are given hay and cereals throughout the year, and in the summer they enjoy fresh grass. According to Clerici a minimum of 75 percent of the grasses and cereals must come from within the region; the cereals must never be kept in silos because bacteria can grow and may cause the milk to become polluted.
    Cows are milked evening and morning, and the milk is immediately brought to the dairies. Evening milk is allowed to rest overnight, causing the fat solids to rise to the top, creating skim milk. In the morning the solids, which are more like a heavy cream, are skimmed off and turned into butter.
    Morning milk, which is full fat, is combined with night milk, making the final cheese part-skim. Whey starter—similar to a sourdough starter—is added to encourage good bacteria. This is the only product added to the milk to encourage cultivation. Rennet is added after the whey to form the curds. Every step is calculated in minutes. If one step is off, it could cause the cheese to fail inspection.
    “Making Parmigiano-Reggiano requires passion and dedication.” Clerici explains how Italian men begin working in the industry after secondary school; most of them have grown up around the industry because their fathers were cheesemakers. To become a master cheesemaker one must possess special skills—judging curd formation, troubleshooting and making adjustments to the process.
    After the master cheesemaker inspects the curd formation, they are cut with a tool that resembles a giant balloon whisk. The curds will separate from the whey and settle to the bottom of the vat. At this time they are lifted into cheesecloth with a large wood paddle. The workers’ motions are subtle and deliberate. “They kind of make a motion of the cross. It is as if they are saying they’ve done their job and now it is up to God.” Clerici describes this as an old wives’ tale—an example of the importance of the cheese in Italian culture.
Next the cheese is cut and put into two separate cheesecloths; one vat makes two wheels. The cheese will go through a series of three molds; they are stamped with the dairy number, month and year of production and the recognizable pin dots that form the words Parmigiano-Reggiano.
From the mold the wheels take a sea salt brine bath for 21 days and are turned daily to ensure even salt absorption. Before the 20th century salting was done by hand. After brining they are removed to dry on racks and expel unneeded salt. The wheels spend a minimum of 12 months in a cellar. As Clerici says, “The cellar is where they will spend the rest of their life.” The maturing cellar holds the perfectly shaped wheels, stacked floor to ceiling. After aging for a minimum of one year, the wheels are inspected. When they pass, each will receive the official Parmigiano-Reggiano seal.
    From the dairy it is off to meet Fabrizio Raimondi, from the Consortium of Parma Ham, to tour Leporati, one of approximately 200 plants producing Prosciutto di Parma. Established in 1963, the Consortium of Parma Ham is exactly like the consorzio for Parmigiano. Both are strictly connected, sharing the same regional boundaries. Parma pigs are also fed whey from the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, along with the same grains the cows eat.
    Once the raw ham is delivered to the plant from the slaughterhouse the workers begin their inspection. Any ham with the slightest defect is rejected. The passing meat is trimmed into a “chicken leg” shape, both for aesthetics and to help with the salting phase. The process is fast, the men focused, silent and intense.
    “Of first salt” is when the ham gets its first dose of salt. Raimondi explains that Sicilian sea salt is used because it is the best in Italy. The meat is washed and salted again, with a chilling period between each salting. The refrigerator is the biggest change in the production since ancient times. Before refrigeration Prosciutto was produced only in winter because the cold weather prevented spoiling.
After salting the ham is ready for the pre-curing phase. It is moved into large rooms with floor to ceiling windows on either side, where it will stay for three months. When the weather is good the windows are opened to allow the signature Parma sea air and the air from the forest to brush across the ham, lending a distinct flavor and aiding in the slow drying process.
Before heading to the cellars the ham gets a coating of pork fat mixed with salt and pepper to help keep in moisture. Once in the cellars, the ham will mature for seven months, occasionally tested with a horse-bone needle inserted into the meat. A horse-bone is used because it quickly picks up the fragrance without imparting one ham’s aroma into another.
As with Parmigiano, Prosciutto is branded after a minimum of a year. The Instituto Parma Qualita, an independent agency, does the final inspection. Officers inspect each ham; the passing ham receives a firebrand with the ducal crown—the official logo of the consorts.
As with Parmigiano, Prosciutto is so integral to daily life that a typical family will go through one ham every three months. “When a couple gets married, they will always get a slicing machine for a wedding present,” says Raimondi. “Every family has one.”
For two products that are so important to the daily lives of Italians, and to their economy, it is gratifying that their popularity is growing around the world, all of which stems from the activities of the consorzios. So when you are at the market and see Parmiggiano-Reggiano and Prosciutto di Parma for $12 or more per pound, just remember the care and time these amazing products require, and the sense of history and pride that is integral to each.

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