Forbidden Formaggio

What do you do when an immovable force meets an irresistible object? Brandon de Kock found the answer on his first trip down the “goods to declare” lane at customs…

- Brandon De Kock

There really aren’t too many good reasons to get up before sunrise, unless you’re photographing Antarctic landscapes or tracking leopard. Or you’ve arranged to spend the day with Simone Ficarelli of the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano-Reggiano.

As a hopeless Parmesan addict, the chance to see its life cycle unfold, from morning milk to muslin bags of curd, was as irresistible as the end product. We shared the heat of the creamery, watched the cheesemaker, Paolo Fontanesi, trusting fingertip over thermometer, and we broke cheese together, inhaling the ragged edges and searching for descriptors.

And, when we finally parted, Simone bestowed upon us three 600 g wedges of 24-, 36- and 48-month-old Parmigiano delle vacche rosse: the king of kings of cheeses, produced from the milk of the fabled red cows of Reggio.

They travelled with us around Emilia Romagna, went hiking in Südtirol and, en route to the airport, were carefully packed away, ready to bring joy to fellow fromage fiends at the foot of Africa.