Is your parmesan the real thing?

Posted by Dana McMahan

The European Court of Justice ruled this week that only the hard, crumbly cheese made for the last 800 years near the Italian city of Parma can be called Parmesan. Evidently a battle that’s been brewing since 2003 pitted Germany against the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese consortium (Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano) — yes, there is such a thing. Germany has been selling knock-off Parmesan-like hard cheese — 10,000 tons a year of the stuff. Producers will have to change the name of the cheese.

You can tell you’re buying the real cheese by the traditional marking with the inscription in full “Parmigiano – Reggiano” impressed along the side of the whole cheese, even on small pieces.

Do you suppose someone should call the Italian food police about the green can masquerading as Parmesan cheese on grocery store shelves nationwide?

TAGS: Parmesan Cheese
POST TOOLS:

( Add your comments )

Recent Entries:
· Barack Obama's Canadian Lunch Menu on Parliament Hill in Ottawa
· Obama's Inauguration Luncheon Menu and Recipes
· Sunny Side Up T Shirt

[ READER COMMENTS ]

Is your parmesan the real thing?

Add your comments...

We kindly ask that you keep your comments relevant to this blog entry. Abusive or inappropriate comments or comments that are specifically promotional in nature may be removed.