The art of cutting a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano

How do you cut a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano?

Many of us have seen it done at fairs, events, shops… but most of us have no idea how it is done! Il Caseificio Bio Reggiani explains it to you in this new in-depth article.

The Vertical Cut of the Parmigiano Reggiano wheel

Vertical cutting would be the ‘simplest’ and is particularly aimed at traders, restaurateurs and managers of shops or grocery shops who prefer to buy whole cheeses and then cut them themselves in front of their customers.

And why not… even you, the man or woman next door, might want to make a good impression at a party with friends by cutting yourself a wheel of freshly purchased Parmesan cheese, well… this tutorial is for you!

1) Check the state of the wheel: : before cutting, make sure that everything is in order, check for cuts or cracks, clean the surface with a cloth if it is a little damp, and make sure that the whole wheel is at room temperature. .

2) Prepare the knives: there should be a total of 5 knives, 1 hooked, 2 almond-shaped, 1 dagger-shaped and 1 spatula-shaped.

taglio forma parmigiano reggiano

3) How to open it? With the almond-shaped knife, draw a centre line dividing the shape in half. With the hook knife, go over the incision again.

taglio forma parmigiano reggiano

Then insert the dagger knife perpendicularly to the wheel, straight into the centre of the Parmigiano Reggiano wheel. Almond-shaped ones, on the other hand, stab it at 45 degrees at the point where the wheel curves, from the flat horizontal part to the vertical lateral part.

taglio forma parmigiano reggiano

Wait a few seconds, take out the knives and do the same for the other side of the wheel, turning it upside down. Wait for a vertical crack to form, then pull out the knives with a slight lever and the last will open into 2 halves.

cutting form parmigiano reggiano

To then divide it into 2/4 and 1/8, simply repeat the same procedure on the ‘smaller’ pieces obtained.

The Horizontal Cut of the Parmesan Cheese Mould


After you have checked and gathered all the knives as in steps 1 and 2 above, you can proceed with the cut. Place the whole wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano on the short side and cut along the middle of it with the hook knife.

taglio forma parmigiano reggiano

Thread the dagger knife and the mandola knife, along the incision, all the way through. Alternate this ‘stabbing’ procedure until the whole cut is covered. If you don’t feel a hint of opening at the end, repeat the procedure a second time.

taglio forma parmigiano reggiano

Adesso usa la spatola e infilza al centro, l 2 mezze forme si apriranno!

taglio forma parmigiano reggiano

Now use the spatula and pierce in the middle, the 2 half-forms will open!

Again, you could continue by cutting into smaller pieces, but from experience we can tell you that cutting in half is much more scenic, in the case of the horizontal cut! We would like to link you below to the video tutorial created by the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium,itself, so in case you still have doubts, watching this video should not cause you any more problems!


Now you are ready to amaze your audience with perfect cuts 😉

Want to order online?  We bring the Parmesan to you. .

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