Bologna, Parm and Balsamic

Thanks to our son and his girlfriend, we spent most of the day learning how parmigiana cheese and balsamic vinegar are made. The experience gave us all a new appreciation for both.

Cheese, like wine, is highly regulated. Technology makes the process better for the producers, who only lose 1% of each batch compared to a much higher number years ago. Each vat is watched over by a person who stirs the cheese with a long whisk-like instrument until the cheese is ready to harden. What is left becomes ricotta.

Afterward, the cheese is poured into round containers lined with a hard plastic shell, with the information noting that Italy approves it. That is what you see on the rind. These round hunks, called babies, are put in these containers with heavy tops to settle down and then divided into two; they are called twins and moved with a pulley, which they refer to as the stork, to the aging area.

The next stop is the aging room. The place we went to was a mid-sized shop. There are 309 manufacturers in the area; this is the only area where parma is made. In this room, there are 33,500 cheeses. The scent is incredible.

Of course, a tasting is at the end. There is 9, 12, 18 and 24 month aged parm. We all leaned towards the 12 month, although depending on how you want to use the cheese, they are all pretty damn good.

Our next stop was for balsamic vinegar. The spot is absolutely gorgeous, and they make wine, too, although the wine is nothing to write home about.

The smell in this room is intoxicating. Supposedly, it is so overwhelming in the summer that you can barely stay in the room for a few minutes. The grapes are boiled down by 17%, and nothing is added to get the authentic balsamic vinegar. Check your bottles! The process involves heating, cooling, and exchanging the liquid from the barrels. In this region, each family’s barrel is a dowry for their children to bring with them when they get married, men and women.

Another dinner back in Bologna at Aqua Pazza for a bit of crudo.

And, of course, pasta. Quite the day.