Here in the States, Parmigiano Reggiano is primarily thought of as a grating cheese. Connoisseurs around the world, especially in its native northern Italy, savor Parmigiano Reggiano as a delicious, full-flavored eating cheese as well as a key addition to their finest dishes

It began life seven centuries ago in the Italian provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, part of Bologna, and part of Mantua. Nature blessed this zone with the most idealistic cattle-grazing land to create the unique milk from the "Zone Tripica". The local cheese craftsmen took it from there, utilizing a totally natural process that has not changed for 700 years. No additives, no machinery, no gimmicks. Just sweet, fresh milk in its pristine state; the artisan's ancient skills and then nature's own good time. What you see today is just what the knights, serfs, saints and kings of old ate!

All wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano are inspected at 12 months of age to determine grading. Only the top three grades, based on appearance, structure and other characteristics, are permitted to continue the aging process. At the request of the producer, wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano at 18 months of age are inspected a second time. If the wheels meet the ultimate standard for the Top Grade, the mark EXTRA or EXPORT is branded on the side of the wheel to provide an additional guarantee of the superior quality of that particular wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano.

America's Test Kitchen and Cook's Illustrated have both voted wuzafood.com's Parmigiano Reggiano #1 in their quest to find the best Parmesan in America today. "We preferred the wuzafood top grade and Vacche Rosse Parmigiano-Reggiano by a landslide, ranking them significantly higher than the other cheeses for complexity of flavor and appealing texture. And when we tasted the regular Parmigiano from wuzafood against our supermarket cheeses, it was an easy winner.

• We cut and wrap this item by hand