What is Parmesan? Can I cook it at home?

Parmesan cheese is known to many housewives and is successfully used by them in the preparation of various dishes. Such a product will give an exquisite taste to a dish of any kind: soup, meat, fish, pasta, baked goods. What is Parmesan? How to cook it at home? What is the caloric content of this product? The answers to these questions will be given in this article.

What is Parmesan?

This Italian variant of cheese refers to products of hard, brittle sorts and has a scaly-granular structure. Not only because of its useful properties, but also the price, this brand is rightly called elite. This cheese is very brittle and quite difficult to cut.

As a rule, it is made only from natural cow milk without additives. Special palatability and useful composition make parmesan popular and popular for a long time among the inhabitants of different countries.

The history of the most useful cheese

It takes its roots in the Middle Ages. The historical homeland of cheese is considered to be Italy, but today parmesan production is organized in many countries. It is believed that Parmesan began to be produced in the 12th century according to the recipe for a hard cheese, which was prepared in Lodi. That's why some experts even consider Parmesan's homeland to be Lodi, not Parma.

Yet, according to popular belief, the first to cook this elite sort of cheese according to the original recipe were the Benedictine monks. They needed cheese that would have a long shelf life. It was in the 12th century that small houses for processing and milk were built near monasteries and castles (between Parma and Reggio).

Parmesan production technology peculiarity

This original cheese of this sort has a deep, unusually bright taste with a very delicate aroma. For the preparation of Parmesan, both in the enterprises and at home, cream is used from the milk that has stayed overnight. As a result of a special process, the factory produces cheese heads weighing not less than 39 kg.

What is Parmesan? This is an elite sort of cheese, and therefore it is produced only from quality raw materials in the Italian provinces: Parma, Reggio nel Emilia, Modena, Mantova, Bologna. The taste of the product is umami (high protein substances), because it contains a large amount of sodium glutamate and some amino acids. Traditionally, Parmesan is produced from April 1 to November 11. After cooking, the cheese ripens in special forms for 1-3 years. The older the product, the thinner its taste.

After a year the product is checked. Instances with a violation of uniformity (sometimes there is air inside the form) are branded. Such a product will fall on store shelves, but under a different name. This Parmesan, approved by skilled cheesemakers, is aged for at least a year and only then is awarded the quality mark - DOP (it confirms the original origin of the product).

Useful properties of Parmesan cheese. Product Caloric Value

This cheese is rich in minerals and vitamins. What is the energy value of Parmesan cheese? Caloric content is a high product, but despite this, such a product is easily absorbed by the body because of the presence of such an element as sodium. He is responsible for the restoration and stimulation of the stomach. Also in sufficient quantity in the Parmesan composition are phosphorus, protein, potassium, choline, butyric acid and many others.

A hundred grams of such a product contains:

• 33 g of proteins;
• 28 g of fat;
• 0 gr of carbohydrates.

It is worth noting that the calorie content of 100 grams of the product is 292 kcal.

Can I cook this cheese at home?

In order to prepare Parmesan (home), you will need:

• 16 liters of milk (milk is taken from both evening and morning milking).
• Special veal rennet enzyme.
• Salt solution (sufficiently saturated).

Instructions for cooking:

1. Milk, which is milked in the evening, is processed in a special way. It is degreased by half, and then mixed with morning milk.
2. Milk heats up to 34 degrees (very important, not higher), and then rennet rennet is added. The mass in the form of a cheese bunch will be obtained.
3. The resulting clot must be grinded and put on fire again. During the heating, serum will be released, which is removed as it is formed. The temperature when heated should not exceed 55 degrees. After the serum has separated, the cheese is allowed to reach the condition for 7-8 hours. At this time it is not recommended to touch it, even to move from place to place. It is simply to cover the container with a towel.
4. In the next step, the cheese is placed under the yoke in a wooden container and left to remove the liquid for several days.
5. Now put the cheese head in a salt solution and leave it until it is well salted.
6. The finished cheese is placed on the shelf. The duration of aging will depend on the taste, but the minimum period should be 1 year. Periodically allowed to turn the cheese and oil.

Are Parmesan cooked in Russia?

As mentioned above, real cheese is prepared only in Italy. But not so long ago and in our country was established production of this product and now Russian Parmesan is a reality. A Moscow farmer Oleg Sirota became a cheese maker. As he himself says, this is the answer to Western sanctions.

Today Russian Parmesan is brewed and ripened in the Istra cheese factory. Production was established thanks to the state program "Family Farm". What is Parmesan in Russian? Istra cheese, which is only at the very beginning of its journey, no worse than Italian. The farmer believes that soon he will be able to establish a mass production of Parmesan.

Conclusion

In conclusion, I want to say that parmesan cheese is very fragile, and it will not be possible to cut it into plates. It is accepted to chip it with a sharp knife, as a result of which pieces with uneven contours are formed. Recently, among consumers, already grated Parmesan is popular, which is delivered in vacuum packs. It retains its useful properties throughout the shelf life and it is convenient to use for preparing various dishes.