A Foodie Paradise Part #2
Trip Start
Unknown
1
5
11
Trip End
Ongoing
Parma, Emilia-Romagna, Italy
Saturday, June 6, 2009
We were off again following Cristina through the countryside after we finished at the CASEIFICIO that manufactured Parmigiano Reggiano and it's aging room with its rows and rows of wheels of 80 lb. cheese. I read recently that the government of Italy will make loans to manaufacturers against the cheese it is aging as it never loses value.
The ride seemed short as we stopped by what seemed like small house on a busy road. I must say that not every spot in Tuscany is picturesque and this stop was not the later. The house reminded my of my New Jersey roots; we could have been anywhere on Tonnelle Avenue in Cliffside Park. We talked up the steps to a small entry and were met by an older woman who greeted Cristina warmly and ushered us into the back rooms outfitted with large refrigeration units and stainless steel tables.
We learned that the batches of pork they were butchering today were not allowed to be called Prosciutto di Parma because the hams were imported from Germany, but were being processed in the same style.
We moved to another room where men were cleaning up hams that had aged for a few months. With their hand protected with a form of mail they wheeled sharp knives and carved out anything that was a miss.
Again the quantity of hams aging at this factory amazed us. The room we saw container over 25,000 hams!Unlike the Caseificio there were no samples to try here but Cristina assured us that our next stop a vineyard set up on the hill would satisfy you hunger.
Our car climbed up a steep windy road with grape vines clinging to the hillside. At the top we parked in front of a rustic wooden building and climbed to the second floor. The view from the terrace looked out over the vineyard and valley. .
As we sat at a small table, Anna provided us with samples of different aged cheeses, hams, olives and large glasses of local lambrusco wine. Lambrusco is produced in Emilia-Romagna is nothing like the super sweet wine one thinks of that was popular in the 70's. But it is one of the darkest purple wines I have ever drunk. We were glad we decided to have a bite to eat as it getting close to noon and we had started at about 8 that morning.
As we began our drive to the vineyard that creates balsamic vinegar, we wondered what we would have been given if we had arranged for the lunch instead of the snack. There were so many choices and the plates were refilled as many times as we wanted.
Cristine snaked here way through the small towns until we reached a family un winery that manufactures "Aceto Balsamica Tradizionale di Reggio Emilia". "
We began in a small museum that helped us understand that the process has changed little. "True balsamic vinegar is made from a reduction of syrup from sweet wine grapes, called 'Mosto Cotto' in Italian, which is subsequently aged for a minimum of 12 years in a battery of seven barrels of successively smaller sizes." As the castes became smaller and smaller the acidity became stronger and stronger. By the time we finished my eyes really stung but it was quickly forgotten when we sat down to try the different aged balsamic-- small spoonfuls at a time. Can't tell how happy I was that we spent the extra money to bring home a "silver" bottle of this amazing liquid. Thanks to Cristina who had an arrangement with the winery--we bought a bottle for less than the retail price in Italy and it was 1/2 as much as what we would have spent back in the US. If you have an opportunity to visit the region of Emilia Romagna make the effort to see these culinary gifts made in front of you. You won't regret it!
