Parmesan
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Try the Good Food app - subscribe todayThis full-flavoured Italian aged hard cheese is a popular topping for pasta. Find out about parmesan's PDO status, how to buy the best, and what to cook with it.
What is parmesan?
Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese made from cow’s milk with a natural yellow/brown rind and rich, fruity flavour. Parmesan has a hard, granular texture that crumbles and a nutty, fruity flavour. It is aged for varying amounts of time and the aging process deepens and alters the flavour of the cheese, becoming more umami, with notes of dried fruit, brandy and even leather. Parmesan is one of the typical foods, along with truffles, mushrooms and miso, that evokes umami savouriness on your tastebuds.
Italy's Parmigiano Reggiano is a product with Protected Designation of Origin (PDO). Only cheese produced according to the strict production regulation is entitled to bear the Parmigiano Reggiano name, although similar versions and replicas can be found from Argentina and Australia to the US. There are also other ‘grana’ cheeses available in Italy.
Parmigiano Reggiano
Authentic Italian parmesan has 'Parmigiano Reggiano' stamped on the rind. It also has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status, which means that you cannot call another cheese Parmigiano Reggiano unless it comes from the specific region in Italy and has been made by the traditional methods. These include the milk being produced in Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena and Bologna, and the cows must be fed specified locally grown forage. Each wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano is made with about 550 litres of milk along with a whey starter and rennet. Each cheese is individually marked with a casein plate with a code showing which number it is in production, and with a band around the edge which gives the month and year of making as well as the factory code.
These markings are always obvious on the rind of each cheese. At 12 months, the cheese is checked for quality and given a final branding mark to show it reaches standards. Cheeses that do not pass this test are either marked as ‘medium grade’ and engraved with grooves around the circumference, or have all their previous markings removed and cannot be sold as Parmigiano Reggiano.
How to buy parmesan
Parmesan swiftly loses its flavour when it's grated, so avoid buying it pre-grated in tubs or bags. Instead, buy parmesan in a chunk where you can cut it at home as needed. If possible, buy it from a cheesemonger where you can see the piece being cut from the whole wheel.
Depending on where you buy your parmesan, you may have a choice of ages and therefore flavours and textures. The more mature the cheese is, the more expensive. The youngest, at 12 to 18 months, has a milkier, fresher flavour and softer texture and is more economical to cook with. At around 18 to 24 months, the flavour will have developed more savoury, umami notes and the texture will be crumblier. Cheese matured to 24 to 36 months has a much grainier, crumbly texture and deeper savoury flavour. This pairs better with stronger flavours or can be used on cheeseboards with fresh or dried fruit such as figs. You can sometimes buy cheese that is aged for more than 40 months, and for as long as 23 years.
How to store parmesan
Keep parmesan in an airtight container or tightly wrapped in baking parchment in the fridge and don’t allow it to dry out.
How to prepare parmesan
Parmesan is usually cut using a small almond-shaped knife which splits or flakes off pieces. Chop, flake or grate as required for recipes, or break into chunks. If serving it on a cheeseboard, take it out of the fridge one to two hours beforehand, so that the flavour and aroma have time to develop.
How to cook parmesan
Grate younger parmesan over pasta or use it to make pasta sauces such as pesto, or scatter thin shavings over salads.
Spruce up your greens with our kale caesar salad, or make parmesan wafers to serve in a restaurant-style starter. Parmesan roasties take the crispy spud to the next level, or add parmesan to dumplings in this sausage & parmesan cobbler.
For more recipe inspiration, see our parmesan collection.
Availability of parmesan
Parmesan is available all year round.
Is parmesan vegetarian?
Parmesan is made with traditional rennet, which is a set of enzymes extracted from animal stomachs that splits the cheese curds from the whey. This means it isn't a vegetarian product. Vegetarian versions of parmesan can be found in supermarkets and delicatessens, although cannot be called parmesan – they are labelled as ‘Italian hard cheese’.
Alternatives to parmesan
Try an alternative grana cheese such as Grana Padano.
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