{fantastic freshly-cracked parmigiano reggiano}

i’m starting a cleanse this week.  i’ll write about it next week so stay tuned! for this week, i thought i’d feature a few things that i super enjoy on a special level. i eat about 80-90% vegan.  i’m not strict about it, but i just try to eat as healthy, local, raw, organic, and seasonal as i possibly can…

but, every now and again, i just love to indulge.

i eat really really good food pretty much all the time, and i am grateful for that.  once in a while there are those things i just really look forward to… a fresh-cracked wedge of official parmigiano reggiano is one of those things for me.  i’m not talking the parm you sprinkle on your pizza from the bottle or tub, i’m talking this thing has only been in contact with open air for less than 24 hours.  i’m talking about a piece of cheese that is so unbelievably FRESH, flavours linger from it that absolutely blow your mind.

i’m talking about this specialty item from whole foods market.

i’m talking about parmigiano reggiano.

this cheese is so special, it only comes from a special region in italy.  it’s like a law, no joke… only a few provinces can boast origin to this amazing delicacy.

whole foods isn’t the only place you can buy it, but they do have an event every year wherein they crack a large wheel of parmigiano reggiano in front of their customers.  then they sell it at a discounted price.  it’s a whole thing, i look forward to it every year.  every store nationwide participates, it’s so cool.  this year it was in march, and i believe they do it every year around the same time, so check it out! {this year it was actually on f&f’s birthday, 3/11, so i bought it as a little gift}

i couldn’t wait to get my hands on a fresh piece.  the sweet girl behind the counter even wrapped it all special for me in this special paper.  it really felt like a treat when i opened it up…

the aroma is out of this world.  notes of pineapple, nuttiness…

the official “seal” that says it’s the real deal.

parmigiano reggiano

it has a completely different flavour than what you are used to in typical store-bought “parmesan” brands… it’s just not the same thing as the original. and when it’s freshly-cracked like this, it’s much creamier as well.

i’m told that it’s so special – the way this cheese is handled – that even the cows have a very special diet they must follow, in order to maintain the integrity and taste you get from this amazing cheese.

i don’t eat cheese that often, but once in a while i love to indulge… and why not go for the best when ya do?!

i like to drizzle a little {local} honey over a small chunk and just eat it…

it is just — ABSOLUTELY WONDERFUL!

and don’t get me wrong – even if you can’t get your hands on some super fresh-cracked goodness like this, it’s still an amazing cheese on its own, so just make sure to look for the official label and/or seal that tells you it’s the real thing.  the difference in taste is remarkable.

Tags: cheese, eating, food, food photography, italy, parmigiano reggiano, photography, photos, special products, specialty