asiago/parmigiano/pecornio

Parmigiano why because it salty.

Parmagiano has to be made from cow's milk in Parma, in very specific batches that blend the morning milking with the evening milking. Pecorinos are make from sheep's milk, and they get a secondary name based on where they were made (Toscano, Sardo, Romano, etc). Asiago is made from cow's milk and originated in the town of Asiago, but the asiago name isn't as tightly controlled, so the main thing is they are made with a culture and enzymes that produce similarly flavored and textured cheeses.

But, they're all good and really any hard aged salty cheese grated fresh over hot pasta tossed with a little olive oil = absolute deliciousness.

btw, when I was big into Slowfood, I went to a tasting that compared wheels of summer parmagiano with winter - side by side, the difference was so obvious. Summer: richer color, fruitier, flowerier, grassier. Winter: still parmagiano, but more salty and milky/cheesy tasting without any other real characteristics.

<i>Parmagiano has to be made from cow's milk in Parma, in very specific batches that blend the morning milking with the evening milking.</i>

i heard a story on the radio about this the other day and how some german cheese makers were angry that a court ruled only those chesses from parma can be called parmagiano. i don't really understand why one would get upset over this considering this is a standard thing in the food/wine industry.

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