June Hay and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP: The Essence of Summer in Mantua
Want a taste of true summer? Discover our selection of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP. Close your eyes, take a bite, and let yourself be enveloped by the scent of June hay.
June hay is the "secret recipe" that our cows will transform into extraordinary milk. If the hay smells of sunshine and good grass, the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP will carry those herbaceous, aromatic, and sweet notes that make it unique in the world.
The fundamental rule of the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP production regulations – applied with rigorous dedication even in our area to the right of the Po River, in the Mantuan territory – is that cows can only eat fresh, local hay, strictly excluding silage or fermented feed.
The "Second Bloom": The Green Gold of Our Member Farmers
That very sliver of cheese we enjoy year-round holds within itself the aroma of the second cut of alfalfa, known as "the second bloom" (il secondo fiore). This harvest takes place right in June, producing the most fragrant hay, rich in nutrients, sugars, and aromas.
It is precisely in our countryside that our Parmigiano Reggiano DOP comes to life. During this season, the sun is warm, the sky is clear, and the land lights up with contrasts: the golden hue of the wheat (the harvesting of which kicks off the so-called “gold rush”) blends with the bright green of the alfalfa fields.
The king of cheeses is not just born in the dairy: it is born right now, in the fields, thanks to the tireless work of our member farmers under the June sun.
A Journey Through Time in a Single Sliver
The grass harvested and dried in our fields is preserved throughout the year in round bales, which appear like geometric sculptures across the countryside landscape of the lower Mantuan territory (basso mantovano) during these weeks.
When we taste a sliver of Parmigiano Reggiano DOP (perhaps aged for 24 or 36 months), we are actually tasting the sunshine of that specific June from two or three years before. The aging process has simply preserved and concentrated the hard work carried out during these magical harvest days.
While industrial food can be made in just a few minutes, the journey for our Parmigiano Reggiano PDO began years ago, in a hayfield, in the heart of June.
