National Parmigiano Reggiano Day
October 27
About National Parmigiano Reggiano Day
National Parmigiano Reggiano Day takes place on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The day celebrates Parmigiano Reggiano, the protected Italian hard cheese often called the “King of Cheese”, and was created by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano following the 2012 earthquakes that struck its home region of Emilia-Romagna. It is now marked in kitchens and restaurants around the world.
How to Celebrate National Parmigiano Reggiano Day
The whole point of the day is to cook, share and savour Parmigiano Reggiano. Here are eight ways to get involved.
- Cook Massimo Bottura’s Riso Cacio e Pepe – Recreate the very dish that started it all. Bottura’s risotto, designed to use up surplus cheese after the 2012 earthquakes, remains the unofficial recipe of the day and is widely shared online by the Consorzio each year.
- Buy a wedge of genuine DOP cheese – Look for the pin-dot lettering branded onto the rind that spells out “Parmigiano Reggiano”. Buying the real thing supports the small dairies of Emilia-Romagna rather than generic “parmesan” imitations.
- Host a cheese tasting – Compare wheels aged 12, 24 and 36 months side by side. The flavour shifts from milky and mild to sharp, nutty and crystalline as the cheese matures, and a tasting makes the difference obvious.
- Grate it generously over pasta – A simple bowl of spaghetti, butter and freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano is one of the easiest ways to honour the cheese. Grate it fresh rather than buying it pre-grated for the best aroma.
- Pair it with the classics – Serve chunks broken (never cut) from the wheel with aged balsamic vinegar of Modena, a drizzle of honey, walnuts or fresh pears. A glass of Lambrusco from the same region rounds it off.
- Make a Parmigiano broth or stock – Do not throw away the rind. Simmer it in soups, risottos and minestrone to add depth and reduce waste, a trick Italian cooks have used for generations.
- Visit a dairy or take a virtual tour – Many caseifici in Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena open their doors to visitors for early-morning production tours. If you cannot travel, the Consorzio publishes videos showing the cheese being made.
- Share your dish online – Post your creations and tag the Consorzio. The day was born on social media, so adding your plate to the feed keeps the tradition growing.
What is National Parmigiano Reggiano Day?
National Parmigiano Reggiano Day is an annual food celebration dedicated to the famous Italian DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta) hard cheese. It was established by the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, the body that has protected and promoted the cheese since 1934. The day invites home cooks, chefs and cheese lovers everywhere to prepare a dish featuring Parmigiano Reggiano, and it doubles as a tribute to the resilience of the cheesemakers who rebuilt their industry after natural disaster.
When is National Parmigiano Reggiano Day?
National Parmigiano Reggiano Day falls on 27 October each year. In 2026 that is a Tuesday. The date is fixed and does not move, chosen to mark the autumn point in 2012 when recovery efforts in the earthquake-hit region were taking hold.
The History of National Parmigiano Reggiano Day
The cheese itself is far older than the day that celebrates it. Parmigiano Reggiano traces its origins to the Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries of the Parma and Reggio Emilia area in the Middle Ages, where monks first developed a dry, long-keeping cheese more than 900 years ago. The production method has changed remarkably little since: raw cow’s milk, salt, rennet and patience. Its reputation spread across Europe over the centuries, and it was even name-checked by Boccaccio in the fourteenth-century Decameron.
The awareness day, by contrast, was born out of crisis. In May 2012 two powerful earthquakes hit Emilia-Romagna, the heartland of Parmigiano Reggiano. Dairies collapsed, ageing shelves toppled, and hundreds of thousands of maturing wheels crashed to the ground. The damage to the sector ran to tens of millions of euros and threatened livelihoods that families had held for generations.
In response, the chef Massimo Bottura, a native of Modena, launched a campaign to “save the cheese”. He devised and shared a simple recipe, Riso Cacio e Pepe, built around Parmigiano Reggiano, and rallied chefs and home cooks worldwide to buy up the damaged but perfectly edible wheels. The effort helped clear the surplus and kept producers afloat. The Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano went on to designate 27 October as Parmigiano Reggiano Day in honour of that act of solidarity, and it has been observed every year since.
Fun Facts About National Parmigiano Reggiano Day
- A single wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano weighs around 40 kilograms (about 85 pounds) and requires roughly 550 litres of milk to make.
- The cheese can only be produced in five Italian provinces: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and parts of Bologna and Mantova.
- Every wheel is aged for a minimum of 12 months, with many matured for 24, 36 or even more than 60 months.
- At around 12 months each wheel is inspected by Consorzio experts who tap it with a small hammer and listen for flaws before it earns its branded seal.
- Some Italian banks have historically accepted wheels of Parmigiano Reggiano as loan collateral, storing them in dedicated vaults.
- More than 4 million wheels are produced each year by hundreds of small dairies across the region.
Why National Parmigiano Reggiano Day Matters
Beyond the pleasure of good food, the day protects a craft and a community. Buying genuine DOP cheese supports small family dairies and defends a 900-year-old tradition against cheaper imitations sold simply as “parmesan”. It is also a reminder of how a food culture rallied to rebuild itself after disaster. For anyone who loves Italian cooking, it pairs naturally with National Italian Cheese Month in September, and with pasta favourites like National Linguine Day.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is National Parmigiano Reggiano Day?
It is an annual celebration of Parmigiano Reggiano, the protected Italian hard cheese, created by its Consorzio. People mark it by cooking and sharing dishes that feature the cheese.
When is National Parmigiano Reggiano Day in 2026?
It is on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. The date is fixed and falls on 27 October every year.
Why was National Parmigiano Reggiano Day created?
It honours the recovery of the Parmigiano Reggiano industry after the 2012 Emilia-Romagna earthquakes, and in particular chef Massimo Bottura’s campaign to sell the surplus damaged wheels and support producers.
Spread the Word
Join the celebration and share your best Parmigiano Reggiano dishes on social media with #ParmigianoReggianoDay and #ParmigianoReggianoDay2026. Tag your friends and challenge them to take part!
Related Awareness Days
- National Italian Cheese Month – A month-long celebration of Italy’s cheesemaking heritage, of which Parmigiano Reggiano is the crown jewel.
- National Linguine Day – A pasta day that pairs perfectly with a generous grating of fresh Parmigiano Reggiano.
- National Breadstick Day – Another Italian-inspired food day, falling just three days later on 30 October.
Links
Featured image: Photo by Aleksey Melkomukov on Unsplash.
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