Engender Foods

Named after an area in Italy, Parma Parmesan is one of the world's most popular and widely-enjoyed cheeses. Milk used for Parmesan is heated and curdled in copper containers but not before most of the milk's cream has been separated and removed. Curd is cut and then heated to 125 degrees F, all the while stirring the curd to encourage whey runoff. The curd is further cooked at temperatures of up to 131 degrees F, and then pressed in cheesecloth-lined molds. After two days, the cheeses are removed and salted in brine for a month, then allowed to mature for up to two years in very humid conditions.