The Bassa Parmense and the Food Museums
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The land is mostly flat and luxurious, ideal for pig husbandry, pigs which in ancient times used to be fed acorns thanks to the vast oak tree woods, but which today are grown following strict diet programs. This diet guarantees constant quality pork meat, such as thighs with low water content that require low quantities of salt for preservation, and results in the characteristic flavor which sets the Prosciutto di Parma apart from other hams.
Museo del Prosciutto e dei Salumi di Parma
The origins of the Culatello, considered the most prestigious among Italian made salami, are found in the historic memory of the local peasant culture. Made with the leanest part of the pork thigh, it ages in cool cellars for a period of 16 to 18 months, losing between 40 to 50% of its weight due to the cycle of cold, foggy falls and winters and the humid heat of the summer. The result is a delicacy with incomparable perfume and flavor.
The meat used to make the Felino comes from the shoulder muscles of the pork, and the trimming of prosciutto, loin, and pancetta (bacon), with the addition of about 30% of pork fat which is characterized by low cholesterol content and rich non-saturated fats containing natural antioxidants, such as vitamin F. Salt, spices, aromatic herbs, black pepper and garlic are mixed with the ground meat and cased inside pork guts, to obtain a salami which weighs about 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) and is from 40 centimeters to one meter (1.3 to 3.3 feet) long.
Fire branding of the Prosciutto di Parma
The milk used to produce the 'King of All Cheese', or the Parmigiano-Reggiano, comes from the Frisona, Bruna Italiana, and, in minor quantity, Rossa Reggiana cow varieties. It takes 600 liters (634 quarts) of milk to produce a wheel of cheese weighing from 35 to 40 kilograms (66 to 88 pounds.) This cheese is rich in calcium, potassium, phosphorous and mineral salts; all of which are important elements contributing to the growth and healthful development of children. At the same time Parmigiano-Reggiano provides ideal alimentation to grown ups, thanks to its easy digestibility. Due in particular to this precious characteristic, the Parmigiano-Reggiano is part of the pre and post flight diet implemented at the Center for the Preparation of Cosmonauts.
Museo del Parmigiano-Reggiano
To help understand the tradition behind these pearls of the Italian gastronomy, which have been preserved, followed, and improved upon in the course of centuries, the Musei del Cibo (Food Museums), were established. There are four active museums to date: one dedicated to Parmigiano-Reggiano in Soragna, to the Prosciutto di Parma in Langhirano, to Salami at the Felino Castle, and one dedicated to Pomodoro (Tomato) at the Corte di Giarola, near Collecchio. The museums have already been visited by over 73,000 people from 2004 to today. A fifth museum dedicated to Vino (Wine), in Sala Baganza, is in the final phases of preparation.
To get to know these 'sanctuaries of taste', one follows the ancient road Via Francigena, and may make the experience richer by visiting castles, country churches, and Roman cathedrals along the way, stopping overnight in one of the many hotels in the area. My choice for an overnight stop fell on the Albergo Locanda Stendhal, in Colorno, a historic inn where the likes of Hemingway and Mario Soldati spent the night, and which was recently remodeled.
In Soragna, just a few miles from Colorno, there is Corte Castellazzi, a building which has been dedicated for centuries to the production of Parmigiano-Reggiano. There, one can see the tools and learn about the techniques applied in the production of the famous cheese, including 120 objects dated back from the beginning of the 1800s to the mid 20th century, in addition to drawings and ancient photographs. Interestingly enough, there is also one section dedicated to the numerous imitations, some of which made by well known multinational companies, which the Consortium of the Parmigiano-Reggiano found in various parts of the world.
Parmigiano-Reggiano
The Castello di Felino (Felino Castle), owned in the past by the Sforza and Farnese families and currently home to a charming restaurant, hosts the Museo del Salame (Salami Museum), consisting of five sections dedicated to historic documents, the most ancient of which dates back to 1436.
Proceeding along, one reaches Langhirano, overlooked and protected in ancient times by the Castello di Torrechiara (Torrechiara Castle) with its richly frescoed halls. Langhirano is home to the Museo del Prosciutto e dei Salumi di Parma (Museum of the Prosciutto and Cold Cuts from Parma), which offers a wealth of films, tools and documents, which highlight in details the production and characteristics of these delicacies, whose praises have been sung since ancient times by the likes of Cato the Elder, Horace, Plautus, and Juvenal. Here the visit ends with a tasting of prosciutto (ham) and salami.
Finally, at the Corte di Giarola, in Collecchio, a municipality near Felino, there is the museum dedicated to Tomato, which opened its doors in September 2010. Though the tomato is not a native Parma product, here it found a fertile home. Cultivation and transformation of the 'red gold' dates back to 1922 in this area, and today over one million tons of tomatoes are grown and produced in the area.
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