It had been a long time since we tasted a new Parmigiano Reggiano that impressed us. Most leave us flat compared to our tried-and-true "Top Grade" varieties. This new Solo di Bruna Reggiano not only impressed us, frankly it blew us away. Over 350 factories in Emilia-Romagna produces Parmigiano-Reggiano DOP cheese, but only a handful make it exclusively from the milk of the Italian Brown cow, known as the Solo di Bruna it Italy.
The Italian Brown is a cow that originally came to Italy from Switzerland. During the Middle Ages, Parmigiano-Reggiano was only made with milk from the Solo di Bruna. Its milk has a higher casein content than normal cow's milk, making the cheese exceptionally creamy and flavorful. However, it yields less milk per day than most other breeds, thus the reason why most producers switched to other types of cows over the years. Thankfully some artisan producers stayed the course and in 2005 the "Consorzio di Sola Bruna" was established, making it legal to market the Solo di Bruna Parm as a distinct product.
Made exclusively from the milk from the Solo di Bruna and aged for 24 months, the result is a Parm that is fruity and complex with notes of toffee and hazelnut. Its body is laden with those crunchy protein crystals we all seek out in a great Parm. We love it chunked as a delicious table cheese paired with a goblet of Barolo or Barbaresca. If you prefer, grate it atop your pasta, risotto or soup and bring your dish to a whole new level.