30 Month Parmesan

This cheese is selected from one small Parmigiano-Reggiano farm just outside Parma; one of only four producers still to use milk from the ‘Italian brown’ cow.  This ancient and rare breed produces milk with an intense flavour, which gives this Parmesan a particular fruity richness.  The cheese is then aged for 30 months before being imported. Split to order direct from the whole wheel, it retains the fruity richness of flavour, whilst still being moist and milky. Cows' Milk, Suitable in Pregnancy, Unpasteurised. Società Agricola Valserena makes ‘Parmigiano-Reggiano di Sola Bruna’ on a small scale (they make just six wheels a day).  They remain one of the last four dairies in Italy (out of 395 Parmesan producers) still to use milk from the Alpine Italian Brown cow (Vacca Bruna) and have been breeding the Italian Browns since 1879.  The milk is sourced from these cattle, which are farmed non-intensively and graze on the diverse mountain pasture far from the cities in the valleys, above the pollution level.  Italian Brown cows produce less milk than other, more prolific, breeds, but it is richer and more intense. Brown cow Parmesan makes up only 0.2% of Parmesan production.  The majority of other Parmesan is made from Friesian milk, but it is also worth looking out for the native breeds of the other Parmesan regions, Modena (the white cow - Vacca Bianca Modenese) and Reggiano (red cow Parmesan – Vacche Rosse) both of which have a distinct style.  The Italian Brown cow Parmesan is the least known, though perhaps the best. After production the cheeses that show even more promise as suitable for ageing are then specially selected and aged for 30-months before being sent whole to The Courtyard Dairy. This product will have two weeks shelf life from the date of delivery.   Ingredients: Milk, salt, cheese cultures and rennet.