Italians Snap Up Quake-Damaged Parmesan to Support Producers

Cheese maker Dante Caretti’s worst nightmare came true in the early morning of May 20, when he was awakened by a crashing noise during a 5.9-magnitude earthquake that struck Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region.

Caretti, 70, was less concerned about damage to his home than to the thousands of wheels of aging parmesan cheese that he heard sliding off his warehouse’s shelves. Around 10 percent of parmesan production in the Emilia-Romagna region may have been damaged in the quake and a second trembler this week, the Parmigiano-Reggiano trade association estimates.