High Quality selection of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP directly from Italy The ageing process is crucial, as this is when Parmigiano changes character and transforms into that unique, universally coveted cheese. The minimum ageing process foresees 12 months but we sell from 18 to 120 months selections. At 18 months, Parmigiano exudes youthful aromas with fresh fruit, grass, flower and milk nuances. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is without additives and preservatives and naturally lactose-free. The absence of lactose is a natural consequence of the typical Parmigiano Reggiano cheese making process. EMILIA FOOD LOVE guarantees of quality DOP or PDO in English stay for PROTECTED DESIGNATION OF ORIGIN. It is assigned by the European Union to the name used to indicate a product that owes its characteristics to its place of origin, and its production, modification and processing occur within that geographical area (referred to by the name of the product itself and coinciding with a place, a region or a country). Verification of compliance with the production specifications is done by impartial parties recognized by the Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies. Simply a legend. And like all legends, Parmigiano Reggiano has a history of seamlessly blended truth and myth. It is an extremely ancient cheese which has been made in the same way at least since the Middle Ages. It is described in the writing of the great Italian poets of the 14th century. Giovanni Boccaccio cited it in his most famous work, The Decameron, in which he imagines "a mountain of grated Parmigiano cheese, on top of which there were people who did nothing but make maccheroni and ravioli and cook them in capon broth and then roll them down so that he who got the most had the most". Cooks, gourmands and intellectuals spoke of it. Full-blown declarations of love can be found scattered over time, up to the twentieth century. For example, the writer, Giovannino Guareschi, who seems to have understood everything, not just about Parmigiano, but also about our land itself: “If you observe the texture of Parmigiano under a very strong magnifying glass, it is revealed to be not just an unchanging mass of granules linked together into cheese but a panorama. It is an aerial photograph of Emilia taken from a height similar to that of the Eternal Father". The ageing process is crucial, as this is when Parmigiano changes character and transforms into that unique, universally coveted cheese. The minimum ageing process foresees 12 months but we sell up to 120 month selections. After 24 months its aromas intensify and culminate in a perfect balance of sweet and savoury; a more pronounced crumbliness highlights the cheese's characteristic grain.