by Austin Coe Butler
Between Reggio Emilia and Modena, in the lowlands of the Po River Valley where Parmigiano Reggiano came to be, the Caseificio di Gavasseto e Roncadella has been making Parmigiano Reggiano for generations. Despite the weight of tradition, this quiet caseificio does things their own way. To start with, they are led by the only female master cheesemaker, Marisa Verzelloni, who took over cheesemaking as the casaro in her 50s after he husband passed away. They make just 24 wheels a day, and they only sell their cheese and fresh butter out of their small retail shop. Roncadella turns the wheels in brine daily to ensure contact with the air, whereas most producers submerge the wheel in brine. They charge more in price than other producers, but still, people choose their cheese over others, and there’s still a line out the door before holiday shopping. And while people outside the little village have started to find out about Roncadella Parmigiano Reggiano, the coop still only sells primarily to local restaurants and vendors and never large consolidators and distributors. At the 2018 World’s Best Cheese Award, this little creamery snatched not just a silver and a gold medal, but the most prestigious prize, the Super Gold!
Roncadella Parmigiano Reggiano has a lovely fruit aroma, a light caramel sweetness, brodo savoriness, and a touch of spice combined with milky tang to surprise you along its delightfully long finish. The sweetness of this Parmigiano Reggiano makes it especially suited for a simple pasta dish: pasta burro e parmigiano, pasta with butter and Parmigiano. Simply by adding al dente pasta to a saucepan with a knob of butter, a ladle of starchy pasta water, a generous handful of Roncadella Parmigiano Reggiano, and stirring together for several minutes, a gorgeous, glossy sauce will form for the ultimate Italian comfort food. This is actually the original fettuccine Alfredo before heavy cream was added to the dish in American kitchens. It’s important to use dried pasta when making this, as fresh pasta is too eggy for such a rich dish.
While Parmigiano Reggiano is a fantastic culinary cheese, it is an equally glorious table cheese that deserves a crowning place on your next cheeseboard. We’ve previously paired the Cravero Parmigiano Reggiano with Flora Prosecco, and this or any other crisp, bubbly white would be exquisite with Roncadella’s Parmigiano Reggiano. Try serving it with a sliced Bosc pear and a streak of our staff’s favorite Olivewood balsamic for the perfect bite.
If you have some of our Cravero Parmigiano Reggiano, try it side-by-side Roncadella to taste the difference. These side-by-side tastings are the best way to discover and explore the many differences, both subtle and explicit, in cheeses that are ostensibly the same. Cravero is made in the Emilian Apennine mountains by Massimo Libra and then matured by the Cravero family in Bra, which is located in Piedmont. Roncadella is made in the valley at the base of those mountains and matured the whole twenty-four months at the same location. The plants and people, animals and atmosphere, are what separate these cheeses, each expressing in its own unique way what we love about Parmigiano Reggiano.