parmigiano -reggiano the "King of Cheeses" .

did you know that the italian government make more money form parmigiano than form ferrari luxuary cars ?
Parmigiano Reggiano's history can be traced way back to the Middle Ages. It was first produced in the Po Valley by Cistercian monks as large wheels of cheese that could be easily stored but, above all, might help sustain pilgrims on their long journeys .So precious is the cheese that each wheel, weighing 80 pounds, or 36 kilograms, and worth about €300.Emilia-Romagna is the only area in the world legally allowed to use the parmigiano-reggiano name for the hard, dry, skim milk cheese that was first made in the region around 1200. Sales of parmesan totaled €1.54 billion in 2008, 25 percent from exports, according to the producers’ association.