28-month-aged Parmigiano Reggiano (2 lbs.)
Nestled in the rolling green hills of Borgotaro, Emilia-Romagna (Annibale Giovanni Ferrari's birthplace) this small cooperative produces a limited amount of Parmigiano Reggiano, so few that it took us three years to persuade them to allow us to sell their cheese in the U.S.!  Parmigiano is made a strictly defined zone between Parma, Modena, Reggio-Emilia, Bologna and Mantua, where it has been produced for hundreds of years.  A close knit network of 492 local caseificii in Emilia-Romagna and Lombardia has been granted the right to produce the protected Parmigiano-Reggiano.  The Caseificio Sociale di Borgotaro, dairy 3090, is widely recognized in Italian food circles as the finest producer of Parmigiano Reggiano.  It is situated highest amongst the pre-Appenine grasslands.  The dairy's herds graze on nutritious, hearty grasses raised in the mountainous air.  After the cows are milked, the cheesemakers at the Caseificio, breaking with tradition, insist on leaving much of the flavor-rich, high-fat cream in the whey, whereas most producers skim it off to sell it in liquid form, where it commands higher prices.  Leaving a greater amount of this luscious mountain cream in the cheese creates a creamy Parmigiano with a clean milky palate and 28-month aging lends a pleasantly milky finish.