In the northern Italian town of Parma, food may be king, and the twin jewels in its crown are parmesan cheese and prosciutto ham. Here’s how to get a peep behind the throne at how these two Italian food icons are made.
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Just over an hour’s drive (or train ride) from the busy chic streets of Milan, Parma is a quiet Roman riverside town with the heart of a gourmand. What fashion and finance is to Milan, so food is to Parma.
But what Parma is particularly proud of (and good at) is a simple staple. However, this town’s version of cheese and ham is anything but simple.
How To Visit A Parmesan Factory And Prosciutto Makers
For years now, Christina has dreamt of standing between the towering shelves stacked with huge wheels of ageing parmesan cheese.
So when we were in northern Italy recently, we made this a mission.
It turns out there are quite a few tours that visit parmesan and prosciutto factories from Parma. We chose ParmaLook’s Parmigiano Reggiano dairy and Parma ham maker tour.
This half-day tour leaves in the morning from central Parma and drives us into the beautiful Emilia-Romagna countryside.
First stop is the parmesan cheese factory.
– Read more of our stories from around Italy here.
– Check out more great things to do and tours to take around Parma here.
– Find some of the best prices on accommodation in Parma here.
Visiting A Parmigiano Reggiano Cheese Maker
The tour begins in a huge barn with large conical copper vats half-sunk into the concrete. These vats are the beginning of cheese-making process — if you don’t count the cows that have to be milked twice daily.
From here we learn about the curds and whey, the pressing that gives the cheese its ‘wheel’ shape and the three-week brining process that gives the cheese its rind and extra flavour.
Finally, we go into the ageing room with its shelves of cheese that Christina has always wanted to see. It’s an incredible feeling to stand here with almost four metres of cheese looming over you.
We get to taste parmesan of different ages and drink lambrusco, a sparkling wine peculiar to the region, and that’s traditionally paired with parmesan.
These are younger parmesan wheels as you can see from the colour of the rind.
As the cheese ages, the rind becomes darker and the markings on its sides are more distinct
The cheese gets older the further back you go. The ones on the back wall here are around four and a half years old. In the far corner, there are some that are six or seven years old. After eight years, the flavour begins to dissipate
We also learn more about the rules of making Parmigiano Reggiano. Here are the basics:
– Parmigiano Reggiano can only be made in this small region of Italy
– Milk for the cheese must come from cows living in the region and they can only eat grass grown here
– Parmigiano Reggiano must be aged for at least 12 months — there is no upper ceiling, but after about eight years, the flavour loses potency
– There must be no defects or air pockets in the cheese. Inspectors look at every wheel and tap it with a special hammer. If there are defects, the authentication stamp and the maker’s number on the side are scratched off. The cheese can be sold as parmesan, but not as Parmigiano Reggiano.
This factory makes five cheese wheels a day. Each one weighs 50kg and it takes 550 litres of raw milk to make each one. That means only 10% of the milk goes into the cheese itself.
It’s an amazing experience and so interesting to see how this cheese is made.
We also have chance to meet the 120 dairy cows that live on site. They don’t seem very interested in us — if anything, they’re a little snooty — and I wonder if they know just how special they are; a cut above the average bovine.
Next stop the Prosciutto maker!
Meeting A Prosciutto di Parma Maker
We pull up to what seems to be a regular house. From its front door, an unassuming elderly gentleman appears. This is Alfredo. He’s 78 years old and has been making Parma ham his whole life — though he says he’s retired now.
We follow him through the door and find it hard to believe he’s retired at all.
The scale of his operation is impressive. From the inspection room, where Alfredo looks at each ham leg, we move to the first drying room. Each ham is salted for 20 days before being washed, then it’s another 20 days of drying.
After that, hams are given around 120 days of ‘relaxing’ in near freezing temperatures before a paste of yeast and fat is applied to the base of the ham. Then it ferments for 12 months.
And this is all before the ham begins its ageing process.
The rules for Prosciutto di Parma is even stricter than the Parmesan cheese. Here are the basics:
– Compared to Parmigiano Reggiano, the size of Prosciutto di Parma’s Protected Designation of Origin is much smaller and is restricted to the southern province of Parma
– Pigs must live in the PDO region (though cannot live on the site of the factory)
– The pigs’ diet is also restricted. Interestingly, one of the things they’re fed is the whey byproduct of the Parmesan
– Hams are only from the rear legs, they must be between 12-18kg each and they can’t be too lean; they must have a minimum fat layer of 22mm deep
– Additives and preservatives are forbidden — only the pork itself and sea salt are allowed
– Prosciutto di Parma must be aged between 14 months and three years, and this doesn’t include the year and a half of conditioning we’ve mentioned
At the end of the tour, Alfredo gives us a taste of some of his Prosciutto di Parma. He uses his mother’s old slicing machine that’s at least 150 years old. It slices prosciutto so thinly you can see light through it. Our guide Matteo says the machine’s worth around €12,000.
Alfredo is one of the mere 120 Prosciutto di Parma producers, but collectively, they make a staggering six million hams a year! Alfredo works almost completely by himself, getting a guy in once a year when things are hectic.
It’s wonderful to meet these talented producers of two of Italy’s most loved, famed and delicious food products. Not only does it connects us closer to this country’s culinary culture, it fulfils a cheese dream too.
