Reggiano

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otuatail

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Reggiano is an Italian cheese reported to be expensive. I saw it once on a TV series 'Columbo'. Has anyone tried this and is it an acquired taste. Wouldn't want to spend a lot of money if it was over powering. I don't like blue cheese for example.
 
Do you mean Parmigiano Reggiano cheese? It's delicious. It's not a strong flavor, but it's nutty and salty and complex. I love it and it's definitely worth the expense.

Buy it from a store that has a wheel and you can have them cut off a small piece so you can try it. Some stores offer tastings, too, so you can try before you buy.
 
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Are you talking about Parmigiano Reggiano? If you eat Italian food, you've more than likely had it in one form or another, though probably domestic unless it was at a very high end Italian restaurant. It's not cheap if you buy in small amounts, usually in the $15-20 range in most areas, though can be cheaper in areas like Little Italy where there's lots of competition.

We buy it like this in about an 1/8 of the wheel:
36788-albums309-picture6525.jpg


and true PR will always have the markings on the sides

36788-albums309-picture6526.jpg
 
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Parmigiano Reggiano is located by law to certain areas in Italy. If you are fortunate to have a cheese store near you, then the clerk will give you a taste without any questions. And they should be able to answer any questions you may have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecorino

I personally prefer the Pecorino. It is much stronger and is made from sheep's milk. Some folks have to develop a taste for it over time.
 
If it's the real deal Parmigiano Reggiano, the rind will look like this.
 

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Parmigiano Reggiano is located by law to certain areas in Italy. If you are fortunate to have a cheese store near you, then the clerk will give you a taste without any questions. And they should be able to answer any questions you may have.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parmigiano-Reggiano

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pecorino

I personally prefer the Pecorino. It is much stronger and is made from sheep's milk. Some folks have to develop a taste for it over time.
I like both Addie. I usually freshly grate my cheese and use a blend of both. That way I get the best flavors of both.
 
I love pecorino, I'll use a veggie peeler to shave off slices and sometimes eat it plain like that. I prefer this over parm cheese.
 
Reggiano Parmesano could be aged 1 year or 14 months or 18 months. This shall make a difference in the tasting profile of this renowned Italian cow cheese ..

Pecorino ( or Pecorino Sardo ) is a ewe / sheep variety from the Island of Sardinia, off the north west coast of Italy. It is predominately produced in the Barragia Mountains in the Central part of the Island.

Both are extraordinary depending on the dish you serve them with or the cheese board that you put together ..


The longer cheese is aged, the stronger the profile ..
 
I've also seen it available aged for two or three years.

+1 I have also seen those.

I like both reggiano parm and pecorino cheeses. That's why I like to use and blend of both in my dishes.
 
I love pecorino, I'll use a veggie peeler to shave off slices and sometimes eat it plain like that. I prefer this over parm cheese.

Me too. Sometimes I will grate a pile of the pecorino and then eat it with a spoon. Of course my original intention is to use it on pasta or some other dish. But it never got there.

We are very fortunate in Boston. Our city is the closest port to Europe. And the section of Boston called The North End is where all the Italians settled right after WWII when they immigrated here. So there are several cheese shops in that area. When the boats dock, the shop owners are right down there to pick up their cheese wheels. As a result, we pay a lot less for our imported cheese. While the rest of the country is paying 19 dollars and up per pound for imported cheeses, we pay no more than nine dollars per pound. You still see the little Italian elderly ladies with their cloth shopping bag, go shopping each day. I don't think there are any large grocery stores.

When you want a piece of cheese, the shopkeeper slices off a piece from one of his wheels for you to taste. If you don't think it has aged enough, he will slice off one from another wheel. There is one family that has a cheese shop on a corner. That is the grandfather. His sons own a grocery store. Can goods, flour in a bin that he scoops out into a double paper bag and then seals it. Another son has a store just down the street that sells from produce. Roma tomatoes, lettuce, etc. One of their sons went to baking school and owns a bakery. And one of the younger boys has a freshly made pasta store. They make the pasta right there while you wait. You can buy lobster raviolis year round there. They are too die for!! They don't take phone orders.

Or you could buy any of the multitude of imported made pastas from Italy. So they pretty much have the food industry sewed up. This family also supplies a lot of the Italian restaurants throughout Boston and the suburbs. When I didn't feel like making my own pasta, I would head for the North End. I always came home with more than I intended to buy. My handbag was lighter coming home, while my shopping bag was much heavier than I had intended it to be. Of course there was always a good size hunk or two of different cheeses.
 
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Annd just to throw another curve into it there is also Aged Asiago.

I like them all. Believe it or not Cos co has an excellent price and darn delicious Parm.

I like and use the Pecorino a lot, especially for a few of my friends who don't do cow's milk (for a variety of reasons).

Hear hear Annageckos I do that with ALL cheeses. (hard cheeses)
 
Annd just to throw another curve into it there is also Aged Asiago.

I like them all. Believe it or not Cos co has an excellent price and darn delicious Parm.

I like and use the Pecorino a lot, especially for a few of my friends who don't do cow's milk (for a variety of reasons).

Hear hear Annageckos I do that with ALL cheeses. (hard cheeses)

And that is my problem. Every time I go to pick up Italian Cheese, I know exactly what I am going to buy. But my taste buds have an entirely different idea. "Oh, you know you want some Asiago, and while you are at it, get some Pecorino and Parm and Reggiano," etc.
 
Have any of you made a basket with the melted cheese and use it as a salad bowl? I got my girlfriend in Atlanta to do that for Thanksgiving one year. A GREAT BIG hit. You not only get a delicious salad, but you get to eat the bowl also.
 
Have any of you made a basket with the melted cheese and use it as a salad bowl? I got my girlfriend in Atlanta to do that for Thanksgiving one year. A GREAT BIG hit. You not only get a delicious salad, but you get to eat the bowl also.

Do you have directions or a link?
 
We are very fortunate in Boston. Our city is the closest port to Europe...
Um, actually no. The closest would be any port run by the Maine Port Authority. In fact, by volume and dollars, Boston ranks 19th in the country in busiest ports. NY/New Jersey is the busiest on the east coast, coming in third.

As a result, we pay a lot less for our imported cheese. While the rest of the country is paying 19 dollars and up per pound for imported cheeses, we pay no more than nine dollars per pound....
Addie, if you shopped around you would know those prices are off. I can find the same quality cheese at the West Side Market cheese monger's store that is sold in Boston, and often at a better price. They even sell cheeses I've never seen in stores up here. You will also find many cheeses priced over your $9 per pound quote, even at Market Basket. I'm sure the price between your store in Chelsea and mine in Oxford are the same throughout.
 

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