ITALY

May 16th, 2010

I just came back from 4 days in Italy. I spent a day in the Milan area, then two days near Reggio Emelia. Kohler has a facility there, and it was my first visit to this part of Italy.  Reggio Emilia has as one of its claims to fame the fact that in January 1797, the current Italian flag was first flown there. The other reason the area is famous is food. Reggio is close to Milan, the other major center close by is Bologna.

I stayed in a local bed and  breakfast, an old farm that has been converted to a 9 room B&B.  The rooms were huge, the views lovely and breakfast fresh and plentiful. (to be honest, plentiful would describe all  the meals I had in Italy)


My room.

On Saturday we had some free time before we had meeting in Bologna. So, in the morning we went to visit places where some of Reggio Emilia’s most famous products are made...Parmesan Cheese and Balsamic Vinegar. Actually, the proper name of the cheese made here is Parmigiano Reggiano.

Cheese

We went to the cheese farm first as that process begins early,  as soon as the fresh milk arrives (We decided NOT to start at the very beginning, as milking took place at 4:30 am). It takes almost 160 gallons of milk to make one wheel of Parmesan cheese. The fresh milk from the morning is mixed with the cream separated from the evening milking.

The milk is heated in copper vats, and a whey starter is added, then rennet, a natural enzyme from the stomach of suckling calves. That is it, after that it is the skill of the cheese maker and time, at least 24 months curing to be called Parmigiano Reggiano

The cheesemaker at work. On average they make only 16 - 18 new "wheels" of cheese every day. There are only 9 people employed in the entire operation, but they do everything from growing the hay, raising the cows, feeding, milking and finally cheese making. As the operation uses fresh mik, it operates every day. To be certified everything must be totally organic. The cows receive no supplements in their feed, the hay is not sprayed with any chemicals. They use special cleaning materials in the cheese making operations that are chemical free.

The product just before it is put into the mold.

Once in the mold, the cheese ( finished products are called wheels) sits in a salt bath for about 20 days, then they are taken to a storeroom where they stored for a minimum of 24 months. In the storeroom the wheels are turned every two weeks. At the same time a thin layer of the surface is buffed off to ensure the outer edges of the cheese do not harden and block the natural air and climate to keep the natural curing going.  The product is embossed with the makers label, and after storing a minimum of 12 months gets certified with a stamp. It can then be sold as a more common version of Parmesan, but not as Parmigiano Reggiano, that takes  another 24 months at least. We saw some wheels that were over 36 months old.  .

There were about 4800 "wheels" of cheese in the storeroom. Depending on the age and the reputation of the cheesemaker, wheels can sell for about 600 - 1,000 Euros each.
 
http://home-and-garden.webshots.com/album/323862456VcHrrv?start=12
 
If you really want a tour, above link  is webshot from 2005 outlining all the steps.
 
 
Balsamic Vinegar
 
Our next stop was at a small facility in a local village that makes Balsamic Vinegar. This is not the balsamic vinegar you see in your local grocery store. This is the authentic version, sold only through speciality shops. (His Canadian distributor is located in Ottawa)
 
http://www.acetaiapicci.it/enindex.htm
 
You can go to the website if you really want the details.
I thought 2 years was a long time to wait for cheese, this product can take up to 25 years !  Basically it is wine that is cooked  over a direct fire.  The cooked wine is put in a series of barrels, each of a different wood.  The best place to store the barrels are in a loft or upper levels of a barn/house. This product needs to experience the seasons. Over time aging in barrels of different woods and evaporation causes it to turn to vinegar. Bottles of the best and oldest sell for over 100 Euros at the producer, twice that at retail!  Like the cheese maker, it takes a lot of wine to make a little vinegar. He does sell some of his product at 10 years and older. While we mainly use balsamic vinegar in salads, they recommend it only as a flavoring in cooking, and used sparingly. The older vinegar is in fact a syrup, and is best used in drops on fruit, cheese and ice cream.
 
The picture below is of the resting area for the batteries of vinegar. Minimum of 5 barrels per battery. Every year 10% is replaced in each barrel to replace evaporation. So the oldest barrel in the battery gets its 10% replacement from the next youngest barrel. As a result, each barrel in the battery gets smaller as the product gets older.
 
 

 
 
A couple of  things I reflected on after these visits:

• Neither placed charged for their time.  These were not "corporate" tours, but an informal walkabout with the owner, we just dropped in!  We spent a good hour at each location, and in both places the owner took the time to talk to us, walk us thru the process, answer questions. In the cheese factory we even got a tour of the barns, (all the cute newborn calves) etc. In the balsamic vinegar house, the owner pictured in the web site was our guide. It is a two person operation, plus his wife and daughter helped at grape harvest (yes, he grows his own grapes)
• These are craftspeople as much as sculptors, painters, boatbuilders etc. They take immense care and pride in producing an absolutely authentic product. Both are involved in local associations and are certified judges in their respective areas.  They love what they do.
• While both take a long time to produce, Mr. Picci from the Picci vinegar site amazed me. He basically took over from a hobby his father had and started a business. As it took over 20 years to get enough product in the pipeline to support him, he spent 20 years as a commercial airplane  pilot while building his business (or actually waiting for the wine/vinegar to become ready for market). He told us that in the past in the Reggio area, when a child was born in a family they would start a battery for that child so when they got married , they received a barrel of the product as a starter for their family.
• The rhythm of these peoples lives is so different than what I experience every day.  They work in a traditional manner, using techniques that are centuries old. They are dedicated hard working craftspeople who take such a joy in what they do they take an hour out of their Saturday to explain what they do to strangers.
• Lest you think these are a version of European hippies escaping from the world, fear not. Both driveways had late model Mercedes in the driveways, computers in the offices. Both run serious  businesses that have international  reputations. They just do it on a scale that is easy to appreciate, and with a level of integtity to their craft that I admired.

I think I once said I really like England. I now really like Italy.