(Click here for more Minor Tweaks or here for I Have OPINIONS!!!)
June 26, 2006
FEATURED CHEESE: Parmesan
Click here for an explanation of cheese ratings
The word "parmesan" comes from the Italian "parm" meaning dry and "esan" meaning very or extremely. It's an appropriate name as parmesan is a very dry cheese. First discovered around 1430 by a blacksmith living in a village near Florence, parmesan was for centuries thought to keep evil spirits at bay. Italians would sprinkle parmesan on the mentally ill in hopes of driving out their demons. Even today, saying someone "smells like parmesan" is considered a comment on that person's sanity, or lack thereof.
While grating parmesan for a salad recently, I popped a small chunk of it in my mouth. The flavor is robust but agreeable and it made me wonder: Why isn't parmesan promoted as a snacking cheese? It's good for grating, sure, but let's not put unnecessary limits on its uses.
By the way, I made up the stuff about parmesan's history and etymology. It is my sincere wish that it will end up plagiarized in a research paper or, at the very least, on Wikipedia.
Posted by teb at June 26, 2006 09:56 AM