Parmesan Cheese (a piece of)

Bianca e Mora have their stall near to us at Borough Market in the Green Market, and well worth a visit if you are at the market to see all the wonderful produce they sell from the Emilia-Romagna area in North-Central Italy.

If you cannot make it to Borough Market we offer their Parmigiano Reggiano Organic Parmesan which is 24 months old (£33 kilo). Made from the milk of the Vacca Bianca Modenese (White Cow of Modena) Cow, which produces a special milk (see further information below on the cows).

For that unique extra special gift, we can send a hand cut 250g piece of this Parmesan with any of our cheese plates or platters.

VACCA BIANCA MODENESE The production of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese started in the final decades of the nineteenth century when preservatives and refrigerators didn't exist. At that time, its long maturing process was the only option available of preservation. Parmigiano Reggiano was exclusively produced from two breed of cows' milk: the Vacca Bianca Modenese (White Cow of Modena) - which could be found in the area of Modena, Bologna, Ferrara and Mantua - and the Vacca Rossa Reggiana (Red Cow of Reggio), typical of the area of Reggio Emilia. Producing milk wasn't the only function of the Vacca Bianca Modenese. These animals were used in the fields for light work and their meat was considered among the best ones in those days. The greatest expansion for this breed took place between 1927 and 1944. Its decline began after World War II, partly due to the war itself - many were killed by soldiers to survive from starving - but mainly because Vacca Bianca Modenese was not a suitable breed with the introduction of the first automatic milking technologies. The demand for milk rose with the economic boom in the 60s and even though the Vacca Bianca produced a high quality milk, its yield was much less than other foreign breeds, such as the Friesian cattle, which did cost less to the farmers who were encouraged to buy it by government financial help. The Vacca Bianca's numbers plummeted from 255,000 livestock - at the beginning of 1900 - to only 800 animals counted in 2005.

Vacca Bianca's milk has an optimal fat and protein ratio of 1:1 and its DNA contains the K-Casein B gene. Such a protein is very important in the Parmigiano Reggiano making process. Another good feature of this breed its lifetime. It has a lifespan of 7 up to 10 years while the Friesian cattle can live only up to 3 years. The Vacca Bianca Modenese also has a better resistance to the local climate - which is warm and humid - if compared to the Friesian, which is more suited to the Northern European cooler climate.