Patrick Oconnell
Parmesan is a hard, dry cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow's milk. It has a hard, pale-golden rind and a straw-coloured interior with a rich, sharp flavour. Parmesan is primarily used for grating and in Italy is termed 'grana', meaning 'grain', referring to its granular texture. Parmesan is the English and American translation of the Italian word 'Parmigiano-Reggiano'.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type of milk | Cow's milk |
| Milk type | Skimmed or partially skimmed |
| Rind | Hard, pale-golden |
| Interior | Straw-coloured |
| Flavour | Rich, sharp, nutty |
| Texture | Granular |
| Age | At least two years |
| Region | Parma, Italy |
| Lactose | Lactose-free |
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What You'll Learn
Parmesan is the English and American translation of the Italian word Parmigiano-Reggiano
Parmigiano-Reggiano is aged for at least two years, although some are aged for three or four years. The longer the cheese is aged, the more complex the flavour and the more granular the texture. Parmigiano-Reggiano has a hard, pale-golden rind and a straw-coloured interior with a rich, sharp flavour. Its nutty taste comes from the milk of cows fed on a diet of alfalfa.
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Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from unpasteurised cow's milk
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, dry cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed unpasteurised cow's milk. It has a hard pale-golden rind and a straw-coloured interior with a rich, sharp flavour. Parmigiano-Reggiano is aged for at least two years, although some are aged for three or four years. The longer it is aged, the more complex the flavour and the more granular the texture.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is produced in the Parma region of Italy and is often referred to as the 'King of Parmesan'. Its rich, nutty taste comes from the milk of cows fed on a diet of alfalfa. The cheese is also lactose-free.
In the US, the word 'Parmesan' is not regulated, so a cheese labelled as Parmesan may be genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano, but it is more likely to be an imitation. Outside the EU, the name Parmesan is legally used for imitations, with only the full Italian name unambiguously referring to PDO Parmigiano-Reggiano.
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Parmesan is primarily used for grating
Parmesan is a hard, dry cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow's milk. It is primarily used for grating and has a granular texture. In Italy, it is termed 'grana', which means 'grain'. Parmesan is often referred to as the 'King of Parmesan' or the 'King of Cheeses'. It is aged for at least 24 months and produced in the Parma region of Italy. Parmesan has a rich, nutty taste and is lactose-free.
The name Parmesan is used in parts of Italy for grana cheeses that don't meet the protected designation of origin requirements for Parmigiano-Reggiano, such as specific areas of production, what the cattle eat, and lengthy ageing. Parmesan is also the English and American translation of the Italian word Parmigiano-Reggiano. Outside the EU, the name Parmesan is legally used for imitations, with only the full Italian name unambiguously referring to PDO Parmigiano Reggiano.
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Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, dry cheese
Parmigiano-Reggiano is made by mixing the whole milk of the morning milking with the naturally skimmed milk of the previous evening's milking. This mixture is then pumped into copper-lined vats, which heat evenly and contribute copper ions to the mix. The cheese has a hard pale-golden rind and a straw-coloured interior.
Outside of the EU, the name Parmesan is legally used for imitations, and in the US, it is more likely that a cheese labelled as Parmesan is an imitation than genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano. However, there is evidence that in the 17th to 19th centuries, Parmigiano-Reggiano was called Parmesan in Italy and France. Within Italy, Parmigiano-Reggiano is also called 'grana', meaning 'grain', referring to its granular texture.
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Parmigiano-Reggiano is aged for at least 24 months
Parmigiano-Reggiano is a hard, dry cheese made from skimmed or partially skimmed cow's milk. It is often referred to as the 'King of Parmesan' or even the 'King of Cheeses'. It is produced in the Parma region of Italy and is hard-ripened. It has a hard pale-golden rind and a straw-coloured interior with a rich, sharp flavour. The cheese is aged for at least 24 months, and sometimes even longer. Parmesan cheese labelled stravecchio has been aged for three years, while stravecchiones are aged for four or more years. The complex flavour and extremely granular texture are a result of this long ageing process.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is made from the whole milk of the morning milking, mixed with the naturally skimmed milk of the previous evening's milking. This results in a part-skim mixture. The mixture is then pumped into copper-lined vats, which heat evenly and contribute copper ions to the mix. The milk comes from cows fed on a diet of alfalfa.
Outside the EU, the name Parmesan is legally used for imitations, with only the full Italian name unambiguously referring to PDO Parmigiano Reggiano. However, a 2021 report found that in one group of PDO-protected cheeses, which included Parmigiano Reggiano, 90% of the cheeses sold in the US were produced domestically. In the US, the word 'Parmesan' is not regulated, so a cheese labelled as Parmesan in the US might be genuine Parmigiano-Reggiano, but it's more likely to be an imitation. Within Italy, cheeses like Parmigiano-Reggiano are also called grana, meaning 'grain', referring to their granular textures.
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Frequently asked questions
Parmesan is made from cow's milk.
Parmesan is produced in the Parma region of Italy.
Parmigiano-Reggiano is the Italian name for Parmesan. In the U.S., the word 'Parmesan' is not regulated, so it may be an imitation of Parmigiano-Reggiano.
