CENTURIES OF TRADITIONS
The History of Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano has deep roots dating back to the Middle Ages. As early as the 12th century, Benedictine and Cistercian monks in the Emilia region were producing a long-aged, nutritious cheese that could naturally be preserved—an early version of today’s Parmigiano Reggiano.
“Et eravi una montagna tutta di formaggio Parmigiano grattugiato, sopra la quale stavan genti, che niuna altra cosa facevan, che fare maccheroni e ravioli e cuocerli in brodo di capponi, e poi li gittavan quindi giù, e chi più ne pigliava, più se n’aveva”
Giovanni Boccaccio, Decamerone, 1351, nel descrivere il Paese del Bengodi.
There is a wealth of historical and scientific literature that attests to the cheese’s fame, quality, and growing significance over time. The first documented mention dates back to the 14th century, when Giovanni Boccaccio, in his Decameron, imagined a land where people lived “on a mountain of grated Parmigiano.” In the 15th and 16th centuries, culinary texts show it was already widely used in recipes beyond the Cisalpine region. From the 17th to the 19th century, travelers, diplomats, and writers touring Italy often mentioned and praised the cheese, showing a strong interest not only in its taste but also in the places and techniques used to produce it.
Contemporary History
Over the centuries, the basic production methods of Parmigiano Reggiano have remained unchanged: even today, as in the Middle Ages, it is made naturally, without additives. However, in the early 1900s, several key innovations were introduced still in use today such as the use of starter whey and steam heating. On July 27, 1934, representatives from dairies in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and the right bank of the Po River in Mantua agreed on the need to establish an official mark of origin for their cheese.