Cheese Factory Visit and Tasting

Let's see the steps in detail.

Production:

• The Evening Before:
  Milk from the evening milking, for the removal of the fat part, is combined with whole milk just arrived from the producers, rennet and starter whey the latter rich in natural milk enzymes obtained from the previous day's processing
• The Morning:
  The following morning the skimmed milk, for the elimination of the fat part, is combined with the whole milk just arrived from the producers, rennet and starter whey the latter rich in natural milk enzymes obtained from the previous day's processing
  Over a period of about ten minutes, the mixture undergoes a coagulation process, the result of which is called "curd". The curd is then reduced into small fragments through the use of an ancient tool called a "SPINO" and placed inside the typical inverted bell-shaped copper boilers to proceed to a cooking process lasting about 30 minutes at a temperature of 55°C
  During this phase, the "caseous" fats precipitate on the bottom forming the cheese that, once the cooking is finished, will be extracted by the cheesemaker with skillful and precise movements that are the result of experience and tradition handed down from generation to generation
  The cheese will now be cut into two parts, wrapped in the typical cloth and placed in a "fascera" in which it will be molded to its final shape
  At this point the cheese is applied the casein plate and each form of Parmigiano Reggiano is marked with a progressive number that will always accompany it just like an identity card
• After a few hours:
  A special marking band engraves on the wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano the month, the year of production, the serial number (identifying the dairy of production) and the unmistakable dotted writing on the entire circumference
• After a few days:
  After a few days, the wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are immersed in a saturated solution of water and salt, triggering a process of salting by absorption that lasts just under a month, a time after which the production phase ends and the maturing phase begins