Cheese, parmesan, dry grated, reduced fat

Fun Facts

1. Parmesan Cheese is made from raw skim milk. Calf Rennet is added to the milk, and the milk heated until it curdles. The curd is cut, heated to 125 F (51 C), stirred, then heated further up to 131 F (55 C.) The curd is packed into moulds lined with cheesecloth, then removed from the moulds and soaked in brine for a month.
2. The whey leftover from the process is used to feed pigs, which then become meats such as Mortadella and Parma ham. 4 1/2 gallons (US) / 16 litres of milk are needed to make 2 1/4 pounds (1 kg) of the cheese.
3. The cheeses are aged on wooden racks for anywhere from 12 months to 3 years. Young Parmesan cheese, just over a year old, is mostly sold inside Italy; they are served shaved into thin curls.
4. Parmesan must be made in Parma or Emilia-Romagna. As of 2004, there were at least 900 small cheesemakers in the area joined in a consortium. Any Parmesan-type cheese produced outside that area has to call itself a “grana.”
5. In Italy, Parmesan usually reserve parmesan as a “finishing cheese” to put on the table. It’s not generally used as an ingredient in cooked dish; for that, they use “grana padano” cheese instead.