The King Of Cheese

We journey to Parma, Italy’s o¬cial ‘City of Gastronomy’ and the birth place of Parmigiano Reggiano, to discover why this ingredient should be a must on your shopping list and the destination should be a part of your 2019 foodie travel plans.

- Sophie Voelzing

When I told family and friends that I was heading to Parma in Italy, they responded by asking, “where’s that?”. Parma may not be as well-known as Rome, Venice or the Almalfi Coast, but it sure should be.

Officially labelled as Italy’s ‘City of Gastronomy, Parma is located in the Emilia-Romagna region – an area known as the country’s greatest gastronomic treasure.

This region of Italy is where sought-after ingredients such as Parmigiano Reggiano, Parma ham, Balsamic vinegar of Modena, Barilla pasta, and a whole wealth of high-quality food products are produced.

It’s where farm-to-table cooking is accessible on every street, and family-run restaurants are passed down through the generations. It’s a place brimming with perfected time-tested recipes, excellent food, culture and history, where the famed rivers Po and Reno encase abundant open fields and 4,000 farms are occupied by well-looked after cows that roam freely and happily.

Parma is a haven for foodies and is well equipped to deal with us – you’ll find food tour options on offer all over the city, which guarantee you a first-class ticket to tasting some of the area’s best food. While the region has so much to offer, my visit to Parma this time was specifically to focus on Parmigiano Reggiano, also known as ‘the king of cheeses’.

Deliciousness aside, there’s so much to love about Parmigiano Reggiano that you may not realise. It’s a lactose-free, all-natural ingredient that is completely vacant of additives and preservatives, with each cheese wheel using around 550 litres of milk. It’s super rich in protein, vitamin and minerals, plus it’s also available as a Halal product, which you’ll find sold here in the Middle East at stores such as Spinneys, Jones the Grocer, Carrefour, Choithrams, and Milk & Honey.