Parmigiano Reggiano, Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale, and Bologna
Leaving Santa Margherita Ligure, we headed toward Parma. Our morning's experience would be to learn about the production of what we had previously called Parmesan cheese. We first learned its real name: Parmigiano Reggiano.
We stopped at a cheese-producer near Coviolo in the Reggio Emilia region of Italy. I was absolutely fascinated by the process of cheese-making that we observed. I found a very good description of the process in Wikipedia. The only part of the process described to us in our visit and not mentioned in the Wiki account is the yogurt that is produced before the whey.
After viewing the process, we were offered samples of the cheese at different ages (typically 12 months, 24 months, and 36 months), a spread made with the yogurt, a yogurt drink, various cold cuts from the pigs that dine on the whey. (Several of us commented that we ate more pork products on this trip than at any other time in our lives.)
The only thing we didn't get to see on this visit was the red cows who are known for producing the milk from which the parmigiana reggiano is made.
Next stop, balsamic vinegar
Next we traveled to the acetaia at Villa Le Magnolie near the village of Gaggio outside Modena. We enjoyed lunch that included [more] pork cold cuts and parmigiano reggiano. On the table were two bottles of aceto balsamico - 15-year and 25-year. The owner, Mario Gambigliani Zoccoli, who is the president of the Consortium of Producers of the Traditional Balsamic Vinegar of Modena, explained the process to us, then took us to the attic of his home to see the balsamic vinegar as it aged. Photo of aging casks of vinegar. (See the top row of small windows in the picture of their villa? That's that attic, where the vinegar ages. As we climbed the stairs, past their second floor living quarters, I was struck by the strong smell of the vinegar. Imagine living every day with that smell. Maybe one gets used to the smell, but I don't think I could!) (The home was filled with beautiful antiques and can be rented for weddings and other such events. Imagine the elegance!)
I had not been introduced to vinegar as a child. My mother, a devout Seventh-day Adventist, used lemon juice instead of vinegar in salads. As a result, I've never really gotten used to the taste or developed a taste for it. But tasting this product gave me a new appreciation for it. A dish of ice cream or a bowl of fresh strawberries or a slice of pound cake drizzled with a 25-year aceto balsamico? Bring it on!
And on to Bologna
Our home for the next two days would be the hotel NH Bologna della Gare. We arrived, checked into our rooms, then went on a walking tour of Bologna.
Part of our tour director's goal on this walking tour was just to introduce us to the layout of the city and give us easy landmarks so we could find our way back to the hotel. Bologna is a university town, and we walked through areas filled with young adults eating and drinking and enjoying their lives. We ended at the Piazza Maggiore, and decided to sit, order drinks, and enjoy the dusk as night fell over Bologna.
(Left: Clock tower on the Palazzo del Podestà , across Piazza Maggiore from our chosen caffè.)
As I've mentioned in earlier posts in this series, it's the custom in Italian caffès to serve "nibbles," small plates of appetizers that are complimentary with your drink orders. So when the waitress asked if we'd like appetizers, we immediately responded, "Why, yes. Thank you!"
We had a lovely time nibbling and drinking and laughing. Then the waitress brought the check. Expecting each person's bill to come to no more than 15-20€, you can imagine our absolute shock when the bills were, oh, 75-100€ or more. (I was in such shock, I have blocked the amount out of my mind. Maybe the Jazzman remembers, as he was forced to whip out his credit card to pay - something he hates doing!) Lesson learned: there are no free nibbles!
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Have you ever been to Venice? You know how you can sit at a darling little caffè looking out on Piazza San Marco and have an espresso, and the bill only comes to about $50? For one tiny cup of strong coffee? Well, evidently the caffès around Piazza Maggiore in Bologna operate under the same theory: Enjoy the view, but know that you'll pay for it.
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After recovering from our expensive non-dinner, we split off in groups of two or three or five and wandered down Via dell'Indipendenza, window shopping while keeping eyes tuned for an ATM to replenish our empty wallets.
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