Filed under: Food and Drink, Europe, ItalyThe moment you walk through the doors of Parma's Salumeria Verdi, one of the world's great delis, the aromas of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, Prosciutto di Parma and other local delicacies arrest the senses. You want to place your order and string up a hammock so you can luxuriate in the sweet, smoky smell of the room.
You can find packets or little jars of the stuff in the humblest pizzerias and Italian restaurant all over the planet. That Parmesan cheese is practically flavorless, but if you visit the impeccably preserved Italian city of Parma, and other towns in the surrounding region of Emilia Romagna, you'll discover that the cheese named after Parma and the nearby city of Reggiano-Emilia is an awful lot better than you realized.
Inside the Salumeria Verdi, my eyes are drawn to a collection of colossal wheels of the stuff sitting on shelves in the corner. "NOV 09" is engraved on the wheels on my right, meaning they've been aging for nearly 30 months. There is no chance I can fit one of these hulking goliaths of dairy goodness in my suitcase, but I want to own one. Not to eat, but to place on my mantle like a fine work of art. They look that good.
But the manager of the salumeria quickly disabuses my fantasy informing me that one of the 30-month aged wheels goes for about 800 euros, or $1,040. And these wheels aren't even the most expensive ones - if the word "export" or "extra" is engraved on the cheese, it's even pricier. For a moment, I ponder how my wife would react if I turned up back at the hotel with a $1,000 wheel of cheese the size of our suitcases. Someday, maybe.Continue reading Parma - Where You Can Drop A Grand On A Wheel Of CheeseParma - Where You Can Drop A Grand On A Wheel Of Cheese originally appeared on Gadling on Wed, 18 Apr 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.Permalink | Email this | Comments
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