Parmesan

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Name Variations

 * Parmigiano
 * Parmigiano Reggiano
 * Parmesan cheese

About Parmesan cheese

 * Wikipedia Article About Parmesan cheese on Wikipedia


 * Wikia Article About Parmigiano Reggiano cheese on WikiCheese

Parmesan is the cheese known in Italian as Parmigiano Reggiano DOP. The word Parmesan is derived from French referring to the original Italian Parmigiano Reggiano. In the European Union, the word Parmesan is a food label protected by the law that will be legally used to refer exclusively to the Parmigiano Reggiano DOP cheese manufactured in a limited area in Northern Italy. (See Protected designation of origin.)

In other parts of the world and in everyday language, the word Parmesan will also refer to other cheeses that normally resemble the original Parmigiano Reggiano, such as Grana Padano, a hard, grainy Italian cheese close to Parmigiano Reggiano. Outside Europe, local cheeses are manufactured and sold under the generic name Parmesan in many countries, most notably in the United States.

Also known as Parmigiano-Reggiano, this is the most famous cheese not only in Italy but in the entire Mediterranean. This term applies only when it is made in Parma-Reggio Emilia region of Italy; made elsewhere, it is called Parmesan cheese.

It is a hard, dry, fruity or nutty-flavored, gritty-textured cheese made from raw skimmed milk of cows, fed on grass or hay only. It is aged for two years, trademarked, made under strict control of a government agency.

It is eaten plain, with fruits, and used as a garnish on pasta and soups.