Made from raw cow’s milk, Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard granular cheese, cooked but not pressed, named after the producing areas near Parma, Reggio Emilia in Italy. Historical documents show that in the 13th-14th century Parmigiano was already very similar to that produced today which suggests that its origins can be traced to far earlier. Parmesan is the French-language name for it and also serves as the informal term for the cheese in the English language and also used for cheeses which imitate Parmigiano-Reggiano.
