We have been recently searching on the internet about what to do with the end of Parmesan cheese rinds and we were surprises to discover that there is pretty much a lot of misconception about how to use the.
Well first of all do not throw them away, they can be used! Parmesan cheese is completely additive free and the rind do not contain any waxing or coating, it is made of cheese. The Parmigiano Reggiano rind is formed during the brine stage, when the wheels are soaked in water and sea salt for 21 days. In our region is custom to store the rinds in a fabric bag at the bottom of the fridge.
Once you have build up a decent cheese rinds you should start worrying about what to do wit them. You should scrape them a little with a knife and remove a thin layer of the external part. After all it was its protection and it have been touched and handled in different environments so better remove the impurities. Once you have cleansed the cheese rind you can cut it in small cubes and add it to Minestrone or virtually to any soup. Once you have cooked it do not discard the rinds but serve them with your soup, by cooking them they become soft and chewy, in fact one of our childhood favourites.
So in short you can eat the rind of the Parmesan cheese, and we are referring to Parmigiano Reggiano from Italy. If you have a stock of other cheese rinds we do not recommend to eat them as they might contain wax or other artificial coatings.