How to recognize real parmesan from fake?

Italy is famous for its great products: pizza, pasta, coffee and the famous Parmigiano Reggiano, better known as Parmesan. How can you tell if it’s the real thing or a copy?

Italy is famous for its great products, such as (real) pizza, pasta, coffee and the inevitable Parmesan Cheesebetter known as parmesan, This pressed cheese has had its Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) since June 12, 1996..

Italy’s iconic product is unfortunately experiencing an unprecedented crisis, and this is due in particular to the production and marketing of cheaper “fake” parmesan!

Parmigiano Reggiano: how to recognize real parmesan from fake?

The origin of the Parmesan Cheese (parmesan) is attested by numerous historical sources which attribute its paternity to the Benedictine abbeys.

Parmesan: from abbeys to copies

Over the centuries, these traditions consolidated have extended to areas other than the two toponymic appellations: Parmigiano (Parma) and Reggiano (Reggio Emilia). The word “parmesan” comes from the Duchess of Parma who introduced it to Paris, others say that the name simply comes from the Parma region.

All our recipes with parmesan

How to recognize it?

Parmesan, the real thing, has a Protected Designation of Origin in Europeit is recognizable by the refining mark applied to the pre-packaged products on sale, as well as by the fire marking of the Guardianship Consortium and by the dotted inscription located on the outside of each shape.

So it is not too difficult to recognize the true from the false. Note that we often call parmesan the Grana Padanowrongly since it is another cheese even if it is very close in taste. So be careful when you buy it.

For the parmesan, There are three types of refining :

• the color mark rouge is attributed to the Parmesan Cheese of 18 months of maturing ;
• the brand argent is reserved for parmesan with more than 22 months of aging ;
• and finally the mark ofor which indicates a parmesan matured for more than 30 months of maturation.

Very precise specifications for real parmesan, the Parmesan Cheese

The designation is reserved exclusively for producers from a defined geographical area in Italy who comply with strict specifications for their production. For example, the cheese must be matured for 12 to 24 months.

It is also common to confuse Parmesan Cheese and GPadanian frog – © Alexsuh

It is made with whole cow’s milk of the day to which is added partially skimmed milk from the day before. The wheels measure 35 to 40 cm in diameter and 20 to 26 cm thick and weigh 30 to 40 kg. Parmesan is made without additives intended to promote fermentation.

From disaster to disaster

In 2012, the region where this Italian cheese originated experienced a terrible earthquake that devastated the production of Parmesan, causing significant damage to the country’s production unitswith the loss of entire cellars where the cheese wheels age.

In addition to this dramatic event, the price of the ” Parmesan Cheese “, parmesan of controlled origin, has seen its price drop, falling from 9.12 euros in January 2014 to 7.31 euros at the end of Decemberaccording to Coldiretti, the main Italian agricultural organization. This situation is undermining an industry which weighs no less than 4 billion euros in turnover with a price paid to producers which has fallen by 20%.

Parmigiano AOP

According to Coldiretti, the production of fake Parmesan has exceeded last year 300,000 tons and this, essentially in the United States, against the 295,000 tonnes produced in Italy.

One of the most copied cheeses in the world

The main producers of Parmesan are located in the Emilia-Romagna region between Parma and Bologna in central Italy. It should be noted that in 2014, Parmesan is one of the most copied cheeses in the world. which led to a decrease in its export to the United States of around 10% last year, despite a favourable exchange rate, which forces the closure of small production unitsone in four has already closed since 2007. Something to worry about for the years to come…

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