Still
wrapped in its cheese-cloth, the "cooked" curd-mass is placed inside a
circular wooden mould or "fascera", and lightly pressed down to ease
out the remaining whey. This vessel gives the cheese its characteristic shape.
After a few hours the cloth is removed and a special matrix is inserted between
the cheese and the inside of the mould.The matrix impresses over the entire side
of the new cheese the words "Parmigiano-Reggiano", repeated at close
intervals. The cheese is turned at frequent intervals, to rest on each of its
flat ends alternately, and is left in the mould for a few days until
"set" in its final shape without danger of subsequent distortion. This
characteristic form is a very squat cylinder with slightly convex sides - almost
barrel shaped. The cheese is then salted by immersion in kitchensalt brine for a
period of 20-25 days.After a brief exposure to the sun, the cheese is taken into
the "cascina" the storehouse where the first stage of maturing takes
place. There the cheeses are placed on massive wooden shelves where they are
regularly dusted and turned over. The total production of any cheese dairy for
one season, or cheesemaking year, is known as "la partita" the "crop
of the year", or the "lot". From then onwards, the
Parmigiano-Reggiano undergoes a long process of maturing, afterwards continued
in adjoining store rooms to which the whole season's production is usually
transferred at the end of the year. The rooms used for maturing
Parmigiano-Reggiano are spacious premises, made to accomodate 100 to 200
thousand cheeses each. They are fitted out for their purpose and located, as a
rule, in the vicinity of the major commercial centers of the production zone.
Generally speaking, the maturing installations are managed by banking houses or
cooperative organizations. These ensure that the cheeses in their care receive
all the specialised attention they require and employ highly qualified personnel
for that purpose. In addition to this, they provide financial assistance for the
dairies storing the cheese.Some data about this extraordinary cheese