Parmesan is a hard cheese that is often grated over pasta.
In 1666, English Secretary of the Admiralty Samuel Pepys was watching across the Thames as fire swept through London. Fearing the fire would spread, Pepys buried his valuables---including his Parmesan cheese.
Origins
Cheese dairies were not common in Italy before the Middle Ages, when Benedictine monks settled in the Po River Valley. They brought with them cattle who fed on the valley's clover and lucerne. These two plants affected the milk produced, and the monks discovered that heating the milk at high temperatures created a paste they could process and age into Parmesan cheese. This method has remained virtually unchanged for 800 years.
20th Century Controversy
In 1954 Parmesan was the first cheese awarded the Italian title of denomination of controlled origin (DOC). Under this law, cheese referred to as "Parmigiano Reggiano" must come from specific areas in Italy. Only the provinces of Parma, Bologna, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Mantova produce true Parmigiano Reggiano, which must be aged for at least a year to carry the name. This cheese received Protection of Denomination of Origin (PDO) within the European Union in 1996, conferring the same DOC protections.
The 21st Century
Although many cheeses sold throughout the world carry the label "Parmesan," the status of the name remains protected in Europe. In 2008, Germany lost a legal battle over the use of the term. They referred to the widespread availability of cheese labeled Parmesan in the U.S. and elsewhere. Since these cheeses do not comply with traditional Parmesan methods, Germany argued that the term was now generic. The European Court of Justice disagreed and upheld PDO protections.
Tags: Parmesan cheese, Parmigiano Reggiano