Parmesan Cheese Per Person Calculator – Perfect Serving Sizes

Parmesan cheese is Italian cheese that has hard, grainy makeup and is made from cow milk aging at least one year. The official name in Italy is Parmigiano Reggiano, that belongs to the group of grana-type cheeses. In that same group you also find Grana Padano and the old Granone Lodigiano.

Italians call such cheeses grana what directly translates as “cereal” and shows that grainy feeling in the mouth when one bites it.

What Is Real Parmesan Cheese

The secret of real parmesan cheese lies in the place and way of its making. Real Parmigiano Reggiano is made in some nearby areas of Italy, using raw milk from cows fed on grass. The process mixes the milk of the morning with that of the previous night, that naturally separates.

Only cheese from the region Emilia-Romagna deserves to bear the name Parmigiano Reggiano.

Here is the main point: Parmigiano Reggiano is not simply a brand, but a truly protected title. It points to precise hard cheese from a particular Italian area. Almost any parmesan cheese sold outside Italy is only a cpoy of the original.

Real parmesan cheese should feel hard and crystal-like, with thick protective rind. If it is soft or flexible, that simply is not the stuff.

Through centuries of close work, parmesan cheese developed its typical grainy structure together with strong, rich flavor. While tasting, one notices hints of sweetness, salt, butter and fruit. It is liked because of its rich, nutty character and that crunchy, hard texture.

Because of its high strength, a little is enough too work well, you do not need big amounts.

Grana Padano is another cheese from cow milk, that is similar to Parmigiano in look and ages around one year too. In Italian kitchens, locals commonly simply say grana for both, without too much difference. Their tastes are quite alike, and they also work well as ingredients in foods.

Both have DOP status, that marks their Italian origin on the rind.

Parmesan cheese is great when you grate it on top of foods like risotto, pasta or Caesar salad. It helps to thicken sauces, give depth and goes well with burgers. Blocks of parmesan cheese last well; simply grate them from frozen when you need a bit.

What about store versions? Frozen grated parmesan cheese does not give those nice flakes, but a good hard cheese grater solves the problem.

If the price matters, brands like BelGioioso and Sargento offer reliable pre-grated parmesan cheese for fair cost with few extras. Actually grating it beats the cheap product by far. Sold grated versions commonly carry starch from potato, powdered cellulose or natamicin; a natural guard against mold, that you do not find in block forms.

Good to know: many cheeses of grana-type areworth it by themselves, not only grated on top of dishes.