Culinary Treasures of Emilia-Romagna: Letters from Italy

Barbieri is one of fifty-five producers approved by a government-run consortium to make what is considered the only real balsamic, labeled Aceto Balsamico Tradizionale di Modena, and stamped DOP, which stands for Denomination of Protected Origin. A rigorous testing process must be undergone to meet the consortium’s standards. Barbieri’s vinegars, which he ages from twelve to twenty-five years, have always passed inspection.

“I’ve never had real balsamic vinegar before,” I said, amazed, when I tasted a demitasse spoonful he offered me. The thick, syrupy condiment burst with a balance of sweet and sour flavors that didn’t come close to what’s called balsamic in the states.

“It’s also the best thing for a sore throat,” Barbieri’s wife, Giovanna, told me, as she served lunch in the downstairs dining room. The dishes she’d prepared were all complemented by her husband’s balsamic—including pumpkin tortellini with sage butter and an arugula and apple salad. “Soldiers used to carry vials of it into battle, to use in case they got injured,” she added, drizzling a thick stream over chunks of Parmigiano-Reggiano.

The origins of Parmigiano-Reggiano can be traced back to the fourteenth century when Bocaccio wrote in the Decameron about a Land of Plenty, describing a hill of the region’s famous hard cheese. When I visited a Parma dairy, rather than a hill, I saw what Italians call a “Cheese Cathedral”—a  vast warehouse where wheels are stacked to mature for twelve to thirty-six months, and the smell Italians call Piedi di Dio (God’s feet), is heavenly.

The young husband and wife team who ran the dairy were (like the Barbieris) friendly, but had little time to chat, as they were hard at work in the cheese-making process that has remained basically unchanged for 800 years. Like balsamic, government standards for Parmigiano-Reggiano are strict. It must be produced in a designated zone from cows fed only on locally grown hay or grass, and cheese-making has to begin within one hour after milking. Throughout the aging process, inspectors scrutinize each wheel to make sure it’s worthy of the DOP label.