Randy Chandler
Parmesan cheese, or Parmigiano-Reggiano, is traditionally made with animal rennet, which means it is not kosher. However, some companies have recently started producing kosher Parmesan cheese by treating it in a way that leaves no trace of meat. This has opened up a market for kosher cheese, which was previously quite limited. The process of making kosher cheese for Passover is rigorous, and factories must be kashered before manufacture, with a mashgiach temidi present throughout the process.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Is Parmesan kosher for Passover? | Yes, some brands of Parmesan are kosher for Passover. |
| Kosher certification | OU-certified |
| Kosher Parmesan brands | Grow & Behold, Millers, Haolam, The Cheese Guy |
| Kosher Parmesan alternatives | Nutritional yeast, kosher grape juice |
| Kosher Parmesan production | Must be curdled with animal rennet, produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna, and have a minimum ripening period of 12 months |
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What You'll Learn
Parmesan is now kosher
Parmesan, or more accurately, Parmigiano-Reggiano, is now kosher. The first kosher wheel of Parmesan was unveiled at the Milan World's Fair. The cheese is made under strict guidelines, including a minimum ripening period of 12 months and production in the areas of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna.
Until now, Parmesan has not been considered kosher because it is typically curdled with animal rennet. However, the producers of the new kosher Parmesan have found a way to treat the cheese so that it leaves no trace of meat. According to Rabbi Elia Richetti, the necessary enzyme is not considered meat.
The family-owned company that produced the kosher Parmesan, led by CEO Nicola Bertinelli, faced the challenge of bringing together accurate Italian culinary tradition and the strict requirements of kashrut. They plan to produce around 5,000 kosher Parmesan wheels each year, predominantly for export to North America and Israel.
The kosher Parmesan is described as a sharp, salty, full-flavored cheese with a firm, hard texture, excellent for grating. It is all-natural, vegetarian, and made with cow's milk. This development is good news for cheese lovers and Italian food aficionados, as Parmesan is known as the "king of Italian cheeses."
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Strict guidelines for kosher Parmesan
Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Parmesan, is made under strict guidelines to be considered kosher. These guidelines include a minimum ripening period of 12 months and that it must be produced in the area which gave the cheese its name: Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna.
The cheese must be curdled with rennet from a kosher animal, and this rennet must be processed in a specific way. The Talmudic codes dictate that the animal stomachs used in cheese-making must be dried to a nearly wood-like state, ground into a powder, and then reactivated with an acid. This process ensures that the rennet is treated in a way that leaves no trace of meat, as Jewish law requires items that are eaten to be kosher and prohibits the mixing of milk and meat.
Additionally, for Parmesan to be certified kosher for Passover, the cheese factory must be kashered, meaning that the manufacturing and packaging equipment is dedicated solely to kosher-for-Passover products. The presence of a mashgiach temidi, a kosher supervisor, is also required during the entire process, from the kashering of the equipment to the final packaging.
The kosher version of Parmesan must also adhere to dietary restrictions for cows, which are fed solely on grass and hay. These strict guidelines for producing kosher Parmesan involve higher costs, particularly for acquiring separate shelf space for the long maturation process.
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Cheese factories need to be kashered for kosher-for-Passover products
Cheese is the most kosher-sensitive dairy product, and this is no different during Passover. The two main ingredients that turn milk into cheese are cultures and rennet. Cultures are used in cheese-making to acidify the milk and impact the cheese's flavour and texture. Rennet is the enzyme that performs the physical conversion of milk into hard cheese.
The cultures and rennet used in cheese-making are often produced from materials that pose a Passover concern. Cultures can be grown on chametz, such as blue cheese cultures, which are grown from bread. They also usually share the same processing equipment as non-kosher materials. Rennet can be grown on chametz-nourished glucose and similarly shares processing equipment with chametz substances.
Therefore, cheese factories need to be kashered before the manufacture of kosher-for-Passover products. This is because the manufacturing and packaging equipment is shared with non-Passover products throughout the year. OU-certified Passover cheeses are always manufactured with a mashgiach temidi, who is present and involved with the process from before the kashering of the equipment and facility to final packaging.
For example, Parmesan cheese, which is made by heating the vat to halachic cooking temperatures, requires the vat to be kashered as it has absorbed flavour from non-kosher cheese in previous use.
It is worth noting that plain milk without vitamins or additives is Kosher for Passover, even without special certification. This means that cheese made from this milk can be Kosher for Passover, even if it was only certified during cheese production and not during the milking process.
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Parmesan is a full-flavoured cheese with a firm, hard texture
Parmesan cheese is now kosher, although it has not always been the case. The first kosher wheel of Parmesan was revealed at the Milan World's Fair. The cheese is made under strict guidelines, including a minimum ripening period of 12 months and that it must be produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna. It is also usually curdled with animal rennet, but the producers of kosher Parmesan have found a way to treat it so that there is no trace of meat.
There are a few kosher cheese brands, including Millers & Haolam, and The Cheese Guy, which can be found in New York and other states. It can be difficult to find kosher cheese, and it may be necessary to buy it from specialist kosher sections in supermarkets or online.
Some kosher cheeses are also suitable for vegetarians, as they do not contain animal fats. However, it is important to check the ingredients and manufacturing process, as some kosher cheeses may be made with animal rennet or other animal products.
Passover has strict rules regarding kosher products, and cheese factories typically need to be kashered before manufacturing kosher-for-Passover products. This is because the equipment used for manufacturing and packaging is usually shared with non-Passover products. OU-certified Passover cheeses have a mashgiach temidi present throughout the process, from the kashering of the equipment to final packaging.
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Kosher cheese brands are expanding
While kosher cheese has traditionally been limited in variety and expensive, the kosher cheese market is expanding, with more companies entering the market and offering a greater variety of cheeses at better prices.
Wisconsin's Lake Country Dairy, a subsidiary of Schuman Cheese, has been producing kosher Italian-style cheeses for about a decade. The company makes millions of pounds of kosher Parmesan, Asiago, Romano, and mascarpone, sold under brand names like Bella Rosa and Pastures of Eden. Jesse Norton, Lake Country Dairy's quality assurance director, notes that going kosher gives the company a competitive advantage and that as more companies enter the market, consumers will benefit from better prices.
Smaller artisanal cheesemakers, like Seattle-based Beecher's, are also creating kosher versions of their flagship cheeses. Brent Delman, owner and founder of The Cheese Guy, manufactures products for kosher consumers who have developed a taste for fine Italian cheeses. He works with suppliers of non-kosher cheese to replicate their products for the kosher market. Delman explains that he often has to fly in Jews from mainland Italy to Sardinia, where his cheese is made, to watch the milking of the sheep, as many of the farmers he works with have never met Jews before.
In 2015, the Kraft subsidiary Polly-O began producing Orthodox Union-certified kosher string cheese, undercutting the existing kosher competition on price. The availability of less expensive kosher cheese has been beneficial for observant families, and the growing culinary sophistication in the Orthodox community is also influencing the market.
Parmigiano-Reggiano, or Parmesan, the "king of Italian cheeses," is now also available in a kosher version. The first wheel of kosher Parmesan, stamped with a Star of David on its rind, was revealed at the Milan World's Fair in 2024. Nicola Bertinelli, CEO of the family company that produced the cheese, said it was a challenge to bring together accurate Italian culinary tradition and the strict requirements of kashrut while maintaining product quality. To make Parmesan kosher, producers found a way to "treat [it] in a way that leaves no trace of meat," according to Rabbi Elia Richetti.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, Parmesan cheese is now kosher for Passover.
Parmesan is made under strict guidelines that stipulate a minimum ripening period of 12 months and that it must be produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, and Bologna. The kosher version of the cheese is treated in a way that leaves no trace of meat.
Some kosher alternatives to Parmesan cheese include kosher 'nutritional yeast', Millers, and Haolam.
OU-certified cheeses are kosher for Passover. These cheeses are manufactured with a mashgiach temidi, who is present and involved in the process from before the kashering of the equipment to the final packaging.
