Making Organic Cheese In Italy

2 min

One of my favorite trips of recent years was a visit to several organic farms in Italy. One highlight was a trip to a small-batch artisanal producer of organic Parmigiano Reggiano cheese in the Reggio-Emilia region of northern Italy. The master cheesemakers there handcraft just six 80-pound “wheels” of cheese daily. Only three of those wheels go on to be stamped “stravecchio” (which means “extra-aged’) after a full 36-month aging process. The methods I observed have remained virtually unchanged in this region for 700 years.

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I meet a Brunalpina cow, whose milk is used to make Lucini organic Parmigiano Reggiano. The cows eat only organic alfalfa that is cultivated in the fields around Lucini's closed-circuit farm, and are in compliance with the highest organic farming standards.
The organic milk is mixed with starter whey and calf rennet in copper bowls. The curdled milk forms in about half an hour.
The cheesemakers have been husband and wife for 27 years. They are about to take the curdled milk from the bottom of the copper cauldron and wrap it in muslin.
The big curdled milk mass has been wrapped in the cloth, and then will be hung to drain the whey.
The cheesemakers tie the cloth to the steel hanging bar at the top of the cauldron.
From the big cauldron of curdled milk, two masses of curd have been obtained. Each weighs 45 kg, or 99 pounds. They remain hung for about 10 minutes to let them drain the whey.
Each drained mass of curd is put into a fascera, or mold, so it forms a round shape. It will remain there for one day.
From the second day after production, the curds - now known as "wheels" - are put into stainless steel molds, where they remain until the salting phase.
This is the salting room, where the wheels are kept for about 20 days. Here we see some wheels which have just been taken out of the saltwater solution.
After salting, the long curing process begins. I am in Lucini's cheese-aging warehouse, where wheels must age for 36 months.
A wheel of Lucini Organics Parmigiano Reggiano, close-up. On the side of every wheel is the fire-mark stamp of the Consortium, the registration number of the production farm, and the month and year of production. Also here is the description of the product, Parmigiano Reggiano, the acronym D.O.P. (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin) and the European Economic Community stamp, identifying the production farm.
The wheel is being cut into wedges, which will then be vacuum-sealed to preserve the freshness and flavor.
The farm's expert taps each wheel of cheese with a special tool. Years of experience give him the ability to judge a cheese's quality by the sound it makes when tapped.
Lucini Organics Parmigiano Reggiano is hand-cut into eight-ounce wedges.
The wedges are placed by hand into Lucini's unique box.
The Lucini team and me, after enjoying a special evening on our gastronomic trip. From left to right, Renée Frigo, (Founder/CEO of Lucini), myself, David Neuman (President of Lucini), Nori Fletcher, Daniel Graeff (Founder/Vice Chairman of Lucini); and Riccardo Scarpellini.
The organic stravecchio Parmigiano Reggiano, in its distinctive packaging. The product can be ordered from the Marketplace on DrWeil.com. I donate all of my after-tax profits from royalties from sales of Lucini Italia Organic Stravecchio Parmigiano Reggiano cheese directly to the Weil Foundation, a not-for-profit organization dedicated to supporting integrative medicine through training, education and research.