Parmesan cheese has been produced for hundreds of years. The DiWine Taste Wine Culture and Information website indicates that authentic Parmesan cheese, or Parmigiano Reggiano, is still produced the same way that it was originally made.
History
Parmesan cheese originated in the Po Valley in Italy during the Middle Ages. Elizabeth Jahncke, researcher for American University, explains that the cheese was created by Benedictine Monks who settled in the valley around 800 years ago. They raised cattle and cultivated lucerne and clover for them to eat, and they experimented with cheese-making until they created a formula that worked.
Alternate Theory
DiWine Taste suggests that Parmesan cheese may be much older than 800 years. The ancient Roman scholars Varro, Martial and Columella mention a cheese similar to Parmesan that was made early in the Christian era. Its characteristics were already well known hundreds of years before the Benedictine monks began producing it.
Significance
Approximately 600 artisans in the Po Valley region have a permit to continue producing Parmesan cheese using the original methods of producing and preserving it. Only cheese that is produced by these artisans is allowed to be marked as authentic Parmagiano Reggiano.
Tags: Parmesan cheese, DiWine Taste, hundreds years