Abstract
The purpose of this study is 1) to understand the processing procedure of matured hard-type cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) and matured soft-type cheese (Taleggio), and then analyze the characteristics of these cheese processing and the important factors on the those maturing, and 2) to reconstruct the historical development process of matured cheese in the northern Italy. The characteristics of Parmigiano Reggiano processing was the skimming from raw milk, the utilizing of natural microorganisms for processing, the adding of acidified whey in which lactic acid bacteria was increased by standing over a day into raw milk, the small cutting of curd as large as maze size, the extracting of whey from curd particles by warming, and the penetrating of salt into cheese by soaking it in salt water around 3 weeks. Taleggio was processed during only winter in the lowland of northern Italy by transhumant in past times. The soft-type cheese matured by the resolutive effect of fungi and/or yeasts was temporarily created during winter period under the specific condition possible to keep humidity high such as basement room or cave in the lowland. The historical development process of matured cheese in the northern Italy was reconstructed as matured hard-type cheese was firstly diffused over Europe and became the base on matured cheese in Europe, the thickness of matured hard-type cheese increased in the lowland along Po river under the enough supply of salt, and then mature soft-type cheese was created under the specific condition possible to keep humidity high in the lowland foothill of the Alps.
