Hard cheese
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quick answer
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, granular DOP cheese aged at least 12 months, made only in a defined zone around Parma and Reggio Emilia.
Wheels weigh around 40 kg and are commonly sold at 24 or 36 months. Only 'Parmigiano-Reggiano' with the dotted rind stamp is the real thing; 'parmesan' outside the EU can be anything.
How to use it: grate over pasta and risotto, shave on salads, eat in chunks with balsamic; save rinds for soup.
- Type
- Hard cheese
- Origin
- Emilia-Romagna / Lombardy (DOP)
- Milk
- Raw cow's milk
- Best uses
- grate over pasta and risotto, shave on salads, eat in chunks with balsamic; save rinds for soup.
Related
More italian cheeses & cured meats
Next up
Keep going — a recipe to try, a film to watch, and an answer to the question you were about to search.
Try this recipe
Acquacotta
Onions, tomatoes, poached eggs and toasted bread.
Try this recipe
Zuppa di Farro
Farro, beans and vegetables in a hearty bowl.
Next watch
Kool-Aid Crash
Forget knocking. Larry crashes through the kitchen wall in a giant red pitcher costume, sausage in hand. Sally takes one look at the entrance and starts calculating the repair bill. Oh, yeah? Oh, no.
Quick answer
What are cannoli?
Cannoli are Sicilian pastries: fried, crisp tube-shaped shells filled with sweetened ricotta, often finished with chocolate chips, candied fruit or pistachios. “Cannoli” is the plural; one is a “cannolo.” They are traditionally linked to Carnival in Sicily and are now eaten year-round.