Parmesan aged over 12 months is the youngest Parmigiano Reggiano, which is the minimum seasoning for the Consortium to be able to give it the D.O.P.
Ageing Phase
The aging phase is a crucial step to obtain an excellent Parmigiano Reggiano, in fact, once the salting is complete, the productive part ends, which lasted about a month and the seasoning period begins: the wheels are now placed to season on the wooden boards of the seasoning warehouse where the temperature and humidity are constantly kept under control. The maturation lasts from a minimum of 12 months up to 24 months and beyond, during which the cheese acquires perfumes, aromas, structure and digestibility. During this period every ten days, the shape is checked, turned and brushed.
Characteristics
At 12 moths ageing, the dough is still tender and smooth, particularly suitable for those who prefer to savor the softer and sweeter flavors of mountain milk. It is defined as “fresh” or “da pasteggio” by experts because it does not yet possess the granularity characteristic of more advanced aging. It is an appreciable cheese at any age, however it must be said that for consumption by children of weaning age, it is advisable to prefer a maturation of more than 24 months due to the characteristics that make it more digestible and that allow a better assimilation of the nutritional principles.
Pairings
Perfect both as an aperitif cut into cubes and accompanied by a dry white wine, and as an excellent conclusion to lunches and dinners. There are different ways to store it, which make parmesan the type of food that satysfies childern and adults. Some eat it as a mid day sanck, others like to sprikle it on pasta or slice it and mix it with salads. A great pairing is with meat, espetially cured meats. We even wrote a blog post about different cheese pairings with prosciutto but this cheese is also perfect to eat with breadsticks as a very quick and easy appetizer.
