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Parmigiano Reggiano as we know it has existed for over a thousand years in Italy as it was developed by monks in the Middle Ages, dating back to the 12th and 13th centuries. The time-honored tradition of making Parmigiano Reggiano has remained virtually untouched for centuries and is among the GOAT’s in the cheese world.
Did the centuries of history and prestige stop the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium from from signing with the United Talent Agency (UTA) in Hollywood to bolster the cheese’s global profile? No, it did not. Because when it comes to Parmigiano Reggiano, the sky is the limit.
Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium Signs With United Talent Agency (UTA)
The Hollywood Reporter was the first media outlet to report that UTA had landed the big stinky cheese as it’s flashiest new client, joining a roster of Hollywood’s elite actors, comedians, and musicians.
The overarching goal here is to have the Italian hard cheese featured in more TV and Film spots, raising the profile of Parmesan cheese along the way (sorry not sorry for using the American spelling).
Calling itself the ‘King of Cheeses,’ now is the time for Parmigiano Reggiano to put up or shut up. In a statement published by THR, UTA wrote that it will “leverage its expertise and global connectivity across entertainment and culture to introduce Parmigiano Reggiano to a wide pool of partners, to further its message of gastronomical excellence and high quality ingredients, production and distribution.”
With Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, Parmigiano Reggiano can only be produced within 5 provinces of Italy in order to carry the PDO designation. The five provinces include Bologna, Modena, Reggio Emilia, Parma, and Mantua. Those provinces are arguably the heaviest hitters in Italy when it comes to world-class cuisine, outside of Rome and/or the major cities. It is where virtually ALL of the great Italian cheese I’ve eaten in my life has originated.
What’s actually in it?
Parmigiano Reggiano consists of just three natural ingredients: non-pasteurized cow’s milk, salt, and rennet.
If that last ingredient doesn’t ring any bells then chances are you, like most people, have never made your own cheese. Renned is “a complex of enzymes, primarily chymosin, used to coagulate milk and separate it into curds (solids) and whey (liquid) to make cheese” according to Google.
Further research confirms they (Google) sum it up pretty well with that description. It’s essentially the final ingredient that brings the cheese together from milk into what we know. And there are all types of rennet but we don’t need to dive too far into that today.
Parmigiano Reggiano must be aged for a minimum of 12 months and hail from one of the five aforementioned Italian provinces. The Vecchio category is aged 18-24 months and the Stravecchio is aged 24-36 months.
The actual name ‘Parmigiano’ carries all sorts of legal protections in Europe. Of course, the cheese must come from those 5 provinces and meet the 3-ingredient + aging specifications, but that hasn’t stopped some people from bending/breaking/flexing those rules in the past.
One such cheese manufacturer that went beyond the 4% cellulose limit that is allowable in the Americanized version of the cheese was hit with a $5,000 fine, 200 hours of community service, and 3 years probation by the Justice Department. Rules are rules!
With all of that in mind, if you suddenly start seeing a lot of Parmigiano Reggiano on TV and in movies you now know why.