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When we say that Parmigiano-Reggiano has been “for at least eight centuries a great cheese” we are not just attesting to its ancient origins. What we are highlighting is that this cheese is today just as it was an incredible eight centuries ago. It has maintained the same appearance and extraordinary fragrance, is made in the same way, in the same places and with the same time-honoured methods.
Historical records show that Parmigiano Reggiano had, by the 1200-1300's, attained the quality that we largely associate with it today. This proves that cheese production in Parma goes back even further, based on an informed supposition that the properties of this cheese had been developed much earlier. Parmigiano Reggiano is in fact a product of the evolution of very old and extraordinary cheeses, which had been chronicled by Latin authors. It is the result of continued honing of cheese production methods.
The early cheese makers who had developed the properties that make this product impossible to imitate were quick to realise that they had created a work of art,
and wisely took great satisfaction in their appreciation of the quality of their cheese. Their commitment and dedication had been rewarded but, as is the case
with creativity, "God’s hand had played a part".
Many other factors, quite apart from these men’s efforts, had contributed to producing perfection.
This set of circumstances is rarely encountered in other contexts, and certainly not with the same blueprint. The geology of the land, attentive animal rearing and magical combination of agricultural, geographical, environmental and human conditions pave the way for high-quality milk production, different from that of neighbouring districts. Ours is the only milk that can produce an exceptional cheese that can tolerate the slow ageing that packs it with unique flavour.
Yet all credit should be given to the men who have proudly upheld throughout the centuries the distinction of Parmigiano-Reggiano, men who did not, and still do not surrender, to clinical technology and automation in a bid to simplify their work. And so the cheese maker, today as in the past, continues along the path of hard work and risk, determined in his loyal and proud pursuit of producing cheese using milk, rennet and heat. Skilfully he adheres with sincerity and rigour and to age-old production methods and technique which is the fruit of vocation and of a mature experience.
