The Story of Fresh Parmesan

The title of this blog comes from an interaction I once had with a customer while I was working as a cheese monger. The customer came to the counter and asked for “fresh Parmesan.” Seems like a simple request, except that fresh Parmesan (or, more accurately Parmigiano-Reggiano, its proper name) doesn’t exist.*

The production and sale of Parmigiano-Reggiano is strictly monitored by the D.O.C., an Italian government agency that was created to ensure that the integrity of native cheeses is maintained. Under D.O.C. regulations, a wheel of Parmesan must weigh at least 66 pounds and have been aged for no less than 14 months (although most are aged for about two years). Thus, asking for fresh Parm is akin to requesting raw cookies—you can have raw cookie dough, but the name ‘cookies’ means that they have been cooked.

So, readers, I decided to call this blog “Fresh Parmesan” for several reasons: 1) in homage to the aforementioned comical mistake; 2) to signify that the content will be fresh; and 3) to set the tone—although I’m seriously passionate about cooking (and eating), I don’t take food too seriously and neither will this blog. Enjoy!

*Side bar- I suspect that this woman had a recipe that called for “freshly grated Parmesan,” but, when asked about this possibility, she insisted that she knew how to read and was very disappointed at the cheese counter’s lack of variety.