Parmesan

Parmesan's flavour

Parmesan, or Parmigiano-Reggiano to give it its proper name, is one of those magical flavour-enhancing ingredients. A few curls of finely shaved parmesan, for example, make a pear and fennel salad taste irresistible, just as a chunk of parmesan rind transforms a slow-simmered minestrone into a gorgeous savoury meal.

Parmesan is high in free glutamate, a naturally occurring amino acid. Foods with high glutamate levels, such as soy sauce, chicken broth and Parma ham, have an intense, savoury taste that gives the eater pleasure.

This savoury taste is now recognised as a fifth taste, often referred to as 'umami', which derives from the Japanese word 'umai', meaning delicious. The other four tastes are sweet, sour, bitter and salty.

How parmesan is made

The secret of parmesan's intense flavour lies in the fact that it's made with fragrant unpasteurised milk and that the cheese is carefully matured over a long period. Every evening, local milk is poured into 240-litre cauldrons and skimmed. The following morning, fresh milk is added to the slightly sour skimmed evening milk. The latter helps to act as a starter to speed the development of lactic acid. The milk is then gently heated and natural rennet is added.

The milk coagulates into curds and whey, then the curd is cut into tiny granules. It is heated in the whey until the curd settles on the bottom of the cauldron. The drained curd is left to drain for 24 hours before being salted, wrapped in fresh cloth and pressed for three days. It is then floated in a brine bath for 21 days, before being matured in specially designed storerooms.

After 12 months, each cheese is inspected by an expert. First the cheese is tapped with a small hammer. Any that have developed internal cracks will not ring true. These are destined to become grated Grana or basic ready-grated parmesan cheese. Next a small corkscrew-like cheese iron is inserted into one cheese per batch, so that the inspector can sniff and taste the cheese and assess each batch's potential. Those that make the grade are branded on their rinds with the words Parmigiano-Reggiano so that each small piece of cheese can be easily identified. The best cheeses are then stored and aged further.

The cheeses are matured for between 18 and 48 months, depending on the kind of cheese and the producer. The result is a hard, honey-coloured cheese with a crumbly, almost crystalline texture.

Cooking with parmesan

The presence of umami and salt in parmesan means that it will enhance the natural sweetness in other foods. If you lightly coat fish or chicken in finely grated parmesan with a hint of cayenne pepper and flour, before frying, you'll bring out the natural sweetness and make them taste deliciously moreish. The same is true if you add parmesan to polenta, risotto, pasta and egg dishes.

The best quality parmesan is sold in chunks, so always grate your own. It keeps well in the fridge, but can also be grated from frozen.

Types of parmesan

It's worth reading parmesan labels and quizzing cheesemongers on the age of their parmesan. Each age has different characteristics.

• Twelve to 15-month Parmigiano-Reggiano has a milky, verdant flavour with a soft texture. It's ideal as an aperitif or crumbled into salads.
• Eighteen-month parmesan is often exported as a good quality everyday parmesan that has a good flavour for cooking, such as freshly grated in pastas and risottos.
• Twenty-four to 28-month Parmigiano-Reggiano is considered by Italians to have reached perfection and its rounded flavour works well in most dishes. It has a complex aroma of melted butter and dry fruit and tastes wonderful with all sorts of vegetables and fruit from spinach gnocchi and griddled asparagus to poached pears.
• Thirty-six to 48-month Parmigiano-Reggiano has an intense, spicy flavour, drier texture and darker colour. This can be eaten like a good Stilton at the end of a meal or baked in cheese sticks, pastries and dough.

The parmesan name

Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese has an EU Protected Denomination of Origin (PDO), which means that it can only be produced in the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Mantua on the right bank of the river Po and Bologna on the left side of the river Reno.

It must be made in a particular way and from the raw milk of local dairy cows that are fed on a particular diet. The cows cannot dine on silage or turnips in the winter months, which could cause microbial activity that might hinder the proper maturation of the cheese.

Over the centuries the term parmesan has become synonymous with any Italian grating cheese. In recent years, other countries have even made their own cheese and called it parmesan. However, in February 2008 the European Court of Justice ruled that only cheeses bearing the PDO 'Parmigiano-Reggiano' can be sold as parmesan.

Recipes

Make room in your fridge or larder for parmesan cheese. It's a versatile cooking ingredient with an appeal that goes well beyond just pasta and risotto.

Snacks, starters and side dishes

• Parmesan and thyme straws by James Tanner
• Parmesan fondue with anchovy toast by Simon Rimmer
• Warm beetroot dip with parmesan crisps by Gino D'Acampo
• Classic chicken Caesar salad by Simon Rimmer
• Naughty nibble tender asparagus in melted lemon and parmesan butter by Jo' Pratt
• Parmesan biscuits by Rick Stein

Main courses

• Courgette and herb risotto (video recipe) by Sophie Grigson from Get Cooking
• Crispy parmesan chicken with soft basil tomatoes by Gary Rhodes
• Parmesan polenta crostini with caramelised onions by Annabel Karmel
• Seared beef fillet with watercress, gorgonzola and parmesan dressing by John Torode
• Asparagus, horseradish and parmesan tart from British Asparagus

Pesto variations

• Pasta alla Genovese (video recipe) by Sophie Grigson from Get Cooking
• Parsley pesto by Darina Allen
• Pesto di rucola (rocket pesto sauce) by Gino D'Acampo
• Beetroot gnocchi with smoked almond pesto by Simon Rimmer