Different qualities of Parmigiana Reggiano?

[tralfaz]

Hi, newby here. Some time ago I heard something about there being different qualities of Parmigiano Reggiano. This is what I heard: there are several producers of Parmigiano Reggiano, all are given the designation, but not all producers are equal. There are a handful of producers that are better than the others. One (called something like factory #41) is the considered the best, but is extremely difficult to get because the cheeses always sell out in advance.

Anyone know more about this? My italian is pretty poor and sometimes these sorts of things don't show up on google searches.

Thanks

[shel]

Start your education here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmesan

Shel

[phatch]

There are other cheese made the same way but not aged as long, Grana Padano for example. And other "grain" cheeses. A cheese made identically to Reggiano still couldn't be called Parmigianno Reggiano because of Name and Origin laws enacted to protect certain products. Certainly all cheeses vary from manufacturer to manufacturer as do all natural products. I'd not heard that there was a premiere maker, but people generally prefer their local maker to a maker from a neighboring area.

Still other young cheeses when aged longer take on some similar characteristics but some different ones as well. Vella Dry Jack, Extra Aged Gouda and so on are also hard grating cheeses with character good on pasta, soups, and other applications. Not that they substitute for Parm, but are good in their own right and worth experiencing.

Phil

[siduri]

Just a help, if you're looking stuff up on google, you have to spell it right.
parmigiano reggiano - one g, one n, in parmigiano (and it ends in o)
two gs and one n, ending in o for reggiano.
it's not easy getting the spelling for foreign foods, and i found that out by going crazy looking for an esterhazy torte, when it was eszterhazy with another z. looking at it with my non-hungarian eyes, i didn;t even notice the difference at first. I did get something, but not what i wanted.
In particular in italy, the ending, which for us is usually pretty irrelevant since we slur over lots of letters, is very important. if you say parmigiana, with a final a, you are talking about a food cooked as a woman from parma would cook it (melanzana alla parmigiana) - and will get a puzzled look from the store person before he gets that you mean parmigiano with an o.

[tralfaz]

Parmigiano Reggiano. Thanks for the spelling correction.

I am specifically talking about true Parmigiano Reggiano, not other grana type cheeses produced in Italy. I should have specified that. The discussion (with a cheese man from Italy) was about Parmigiano Reggiano, made in Emilia-Romagna. The point was that even though the Consorzio Parmigiano Reggiano has tight control of the quality of Parmigiano Reggiano, there are differences among the plants that produce this specific cheese. According to him, cheese enthusiasts in Italy seek out the Parmigiano Reggiano from this particular plant. Because it is sold out in advance to repeat buyers, it remains relatively unknown.

Maybe it's a stravecchio riserva, and I assume it's from one of the small producers like the Vacche Rosse from Fanticini.

I'm daydreaming about my next trip, just thought I'd do a little research.

[even stephen]

I've found that the biggest difference in distributors or the most desireable
wheels are the oldest ones. I think it is probably the specific farms ability
to hold wheels back for 2 or 3 more years. If I recall correctly it used to
be common to find wheels 2 or 3 years old, now its extremely difficult to
aquire wheels with that date back more than 2 years. As one would expect,
there is a marked difference in flavor and texture with the additional age.
As for a specific farm or producer that has a better quality cheese. I'm
sure its possible, but, its really a shot in the dark in the first place. You
are never guaranteed a successful end product, especially when your talking
about an aged product. Its like making liquor or moonshine. You just don't
know how smooth it will be until the time comes. I would be interested to
know how many wheels are discarded due to poor quality and how many
make the cut for sale to public.

[shel]

Originally Posted by even stephen

I've found that the biggest difference in distributors or the most desireable
wheels are the oldest ones. I think it is probably the specific farms ability
to hold wheels back for 2 or 3 more years. If I recall correctly it used to
be common to find wheels 2 or 3 years old, now its extremely difficult to
aquire wheels with that date back more than 2 years. As one would expect,
there is a marked difference in flavor and texture with the additional age.

And let's not overlook the seasonal difference. Cheese made from spring, summer, and fall milkings have different tastes and qualities.

Shel