I am happy to have my computer working again and I want to write about the field trips we went on almost two weeks ago. On Friday February 5 our first field trip led us through a tasting of many products from the region of Emilia Romagna. Our first stop was a Parmigiano Reggiano factory. Here we observed the cheese-making process from milk into curds and whey, and then followed the cheese through the entire aging process. 
This is me standing in a row of cheeses that had been aging for about 12 months. (I haven't gained that much weight I swear! It's just that I'm wearing my coat under the poncho, haha.) Each wheel of cheese has to be inspected by the Consortium in order to recieve the DOP label which certifies it as a quality cheese product of Emilia Romagna. To test the cheese, members of the Consortium simply tap the top of the wheel in a few specific places and listen to the sound it makes. From these sounds they can tell if the cheese is a quality DOP product.
Our next stop was an old castle that has been transformed into a bed and breakfast with two higly respected farm to table restaurants, and is the largest producer of culatello di zibello in the world. Culatello is a cured meat product that comes from the top/butt part of the pig's leg. It is simillar to prosciutto but more uncommon and therefore much more expensive. This is the link to the website of Antica Corte Pallavincina (the castle) www.acpallavicina.com/relais/_eng/index_eng.htm
Before leaving the castle we ate a 3 hour Italian lunch which included 4 courses, wine, dessert wine, espresso, and of course and an after lunch digestive drink which for me was a dark, sweet hazelnut liquor. And for the first time in my life I actually enjoyed the limoncello because it was much sweeter than normal.
After that huge meal I took a nap on the bus as we drove to explore our next product - balsamic vinegar. Here we got to see the vineyards where they grow trebbiano grapes which are turned into aceto balsamico tradizionale. Many of the balsamic vingars we have in America are copies or fakes of the this traditional product that has to age between 12 and 25 years. The vinegar is aged in wooden barrels that allow the vingar to evaporate, leaving a thicker, sweeter product behind. There are three kinds of balsamic that are certified DOP: the red label (aged 12 years), the silver label (aged 20 years) and the gold label (aged 25 years). We got to taste each of these and as the quality went up, the flavor got more powerful, less acidic, and sweeter each time. A bottle of the gold label DOP sells for over 100Euro in a store here.
On Satuday we headed out to the eastern part of Emilia Romagna which borders on the Adratic Sea.
Here we met the cheese man, Mr. Ranalli, who showed us his cheese shop, an olive oil mill, and welcomed us into his house for lunch. In the olive mill we got to see how olive oil is produced in an old mill with modern equipment. He also showed us how to test for good oil by rubbing a bit on the back of your hand and smelling the aroma. If it is good oil from Emilia Romagna it will smell like grass and artichoke. We also tasted cheese that is aged in a fossa or pit. This tradition came about in the 13th century when villages would get pillaged. They would hide their food in a pit and cover it with hay in order to save their food supply. Ageing cheese in a pit like is a traditional method that gives a unique flavor to the cheese.
The pictures above are the view from Mr. Ranalli's house where we had a delicious lunch of tagliatelle with a boar, deer, and ostrich ragu served with piadina - a type of Italian flat bread. The second picture is of Mr. Rannalli in his cheese shop with the cheese and wine he let us sample. He was very welcoming and hospitable, and I was grateful to learn from him.
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