Parmesan cheese where is it from

In sharp contrast, Parmesan cheese in the United States and Argentina, another major knockoff producer, must abide by no such rules. It can be made from milk of any quality, age, or provenance. There is no aging requirement, or really any requirements at all—domestic Parmesan is not even vaguely defined as a particular type or style of cheese.

While the term has been deemed generic or common for trademark purposes, other generics clearly mean a unique product: Bayer lost ownership of "aspirin," but aspirin still refers to a specific painkiller, not vitamin pills.

Yet Parmesan can be used to describe almost anything in the dairy case. As the legal counsel for the consortium of Parma cheesemakers told me: "In most cases in the US, the name Parmesan is not used as a common name of a kind of cheese; it is used in a way that may mislead the public as to the geographical origin of the product. If Parmesan has become the common name of a kind of cheese in the US, which kind of product exactly would Parmesan designate?

Domestic rules allow for, among other things, the addition of calcium chloride and artificial coloring.

The milk which may be whole, skim, reconstituted from dry, cream, et cetera can be bleached, in which case vitamin A can be added back "to compensate for the vitamin A or its precursors destroyed in the bleaching process. To make matters worse, a significant amount of our so-called Parmesan cheese is pre-grated, with cellulose added to keep it from clumping.

While naturally occurring, the ingredient, a plant-based fiber, is neither milk-based nor naturally present in cheese at all, leading to Bloomberg's memorable headline: "The Parmesan Cheese You Sprinkle on Your Penne Could Be Wood. It's far from the first time these observations have been made. Parmigiano Reggiano "is one of the most important and influential cheeses of Italy, if not the world," writes John Fischer in his iconic book Cheese literally the textbook on the subject for aspiring chefs at institutions like the Culinary Institute of America.

Another renowned cheese writer, Laura Werlin, who has produced several books on the topic, adds, "It's misleading to use these names, there's no question about it Parmigiano Reggiano is the quintessential example. It's the gold standard, but most people have never had it because everything is called Parmesan here.

I did a book signing in July where I brought a wedge of really good Parmigiano Reggiano and a supermarket house-brand wedge of domestic "Parmesan," then broke them into chunks and passed them out for a blind taste test. Not one of the 82 attendees preferred the copycat. Unlike with Kobe beef or Champagne, this is not a case of having to pay more in order to avoid being ripped off. Serious Eats even conducted a more rigorous and formal domestic-Parmesan taste test in the hope of finding a suitable, less expensive alternative to the real thing, but the undertaking quickly proved fruitless.

As Culinary Director Daniel Gritzer wrote:. Many consumers who are serious about cooking understand the tubes of pre-grated stuff to be a lower-quality shortcut, but are still routinely fooled by the wrapped wedges deceptively labeled "Parmesan," even when they're sitting right next to the genuine Italian article—especially since some of the knockoffs cost more.

Fortunately, once you know the truth about Parmesan, it's exceptionally easy to shop for the real thing. Since the Italian name is protected here in the US, those words should be an adequate guarantee on their own. In addition, a wheel of the real cheese will have its name, Parmigiano Reggiano, embossed permanently in a dotted step-and-repeat pattern all over the edge—every wedge you buy should have part of this visible on the rind.

When buying real Parmesan, the biggest worry should be over how it has been stored. The wheels are so big, you'll want to buy it from places that know how to store it correctly, and sell enough of it to have rapid turnover, since it can dry out once the wheel is cut.

While it is a semi-hard cheese, it should be a bit oily, not dry or crumbly, so inspect the wedge. Visible dryness, usually seen along the top or bottom, is a bad sign. If the cheese is prewrapped, vacuum-sealed packages are preferable to plastic wrap.

High-volume cheese specialists in major cities are a good bet; failing that, I have mail-ordered wedges from Zingerman's—a vendor specifically recommended to me by the Parma consortium. But every Wisconsin cheesemaker is an innovator as well, which is why we have so many Wisconsin originals, like colby and muenster.

How is Parmesan Cheese Made? How is parmesan cheese made? Recipes: Just Add Cheese. Savory Cheese and Herb Butter. Cheesy Sweet Corn and Salmon Packets. Cheesy Chicken Enchilada Dip. View Recipes. How parmesan cheese is made Cheesemakers have been making parmesan cheese — or Parmigiano-Reggiano as it's known in Italy — for nearly 9 centuries. How is parmesan cheese made in the US vs Italy? How parmesan is made in Wisconsin How is parmesan cheese made in Wisconsin?

Buy Cheese. Ricotta Salata. Stracchino Crescenza. Join our ever-expanding Cheese Feeds:. View our Current Issue View Now. Why Wisconsin? You'll know it's one of ours when you see the badge. Need help? The necessary prerequisites are: meadows in the province of Reggio-Emilia, pastures between Bologna and the left of the Reno River or in Mantua to the South of the Po River.

The cows used consist of the Reggiana, Rosse red or Longobardi Lombard breeds. The vast majority of dairies that produce Parmigiano Reggiano today, however, use milk from Friesian cows which came to the province of Reggio in the early s. However, there are still those who rely on Vacche Rosse red cows to produce top quality cheese. Via F. IVA Tel. The name "VR Consorzio Vacche Rosse" and the distinctive signs graphic and denominative that appear on this Site are protected by national, community and international legislation in force concerning trademarks.

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The history of the dairies producing Parmigiano Reggiano Where were the first dairies that made the cheese? Literary quotations Not only Boccaccio, noted the cheese. PDO: Protected Designation of Origin Several centuries ago, it was already thought necessary to protect against counterfeit parmesan. Older articles ». Rivenditori Vacche Rosse.