The designation “Parmigiano Reggiano” is a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the European Union.
It means that to be able to call a cheese “Parmigiano Reggiano” a producer needs to follow a strict set of rules on how to produce the cheese, how to mature it, how the cows are being fed and it has to be manufactured in a specific area in Italy.
So if someone is making cheese without following the rules and sell it as Parmigiano it would be counterfeit cheese. Just like someone selling lemonade but calling it “Sprite”.
And don’t forget the “origin” part. These designations also include being made in a specific region. You could follow all the rules and exact ingredients for Champagne, but if it’s not made in Champagne, France then you can’t call it Champagne. Same for Cognac, etc.
Europeans definitely try to enforce rules like this worldwide, and AFAIK they’re mostly successful, at least in developed nations.
I haven’t seen illegitimate Parmagiano Reggiano in the USA. They usually just refer to the US-made version as “parmesan”. I also live relatively close to Napa Valley and pretty much nobody here calls wine Champagne unless it’s actual Champagne, other than a few companies that still use that loophole I linked to.
True, you don’t see producers selling fake “parmigiano reggiano” in the US (why bother when most Americans only know it as parmesan anyway). But the EU couldn’t stop them. It’d more likely be a matter for US regulators if they consider it deceptive.
I thought parmigiano reggiano was also a protected term/origin in the US. Like Vidalia onions are. Most of the other EU ones aren’t though.
That’s why “parmesan” is a thing - it’s a cheese similar to parmigiano reggiano, but with a shorter minimum aging time, and no requirements on where it’s made or what the cows are fed - parmesan can be made with commodity milk anywhere rather than in one part of Italy from a specific breed of cattle fed at least 50% by grass grown in that part of Italy. Other than the aging time the process is similar, which is why the cheese is similar.
I’m as territorial and proud of what is made in my country as the next dude but the lengths taken to protect some products, especially by french and italian are ridiculous.
I kind of like it, because it becomes a small club where all members know each other and control each other. The product price is directly linked to the quality of the product, so all producers have a vested interest in controlling their neighboring producer.
It also makes sense for agricultural products, where certain climate and earth composition influence the outcome a lot
Off the top of my head I can name three products unique to my country which we made sure to DOP (Protected Origin Denomination). These are:
Vinho do Porto (Port Wine)
Queijo Serra da Estrela (Serra da Estrela Cheese)
This is a cheese made from sheeps milk, that is specially made using a plant extract for curdling and has to be buttery in consistency; if solid, by aging, it needs to be hard as a rock yet brittle when cut
Queijo S. Jorge (Saint Jorge Cheese)
this one is essentially our version of parmesan cheese, very hard and salty, aged a minimum of 6 months to years
Every single one of these products is unique, as it has specific production techniques and quality parameters that need to be observed and need to be manufactured in specific regions in order to receive the DOP seal yet we knock off these products ourselves.
There is no need for a specific producer to protect their product with complex and sophisticated techniques like the one in the post because rules are established in seat of law and the seal obtention follows very strict proceedings and regular inspections and quality control.
The knock offs are often manufactured by DOP producers. The end product is similar if not the same as the DOP but fails to observe some minute parameter, like not using a specific milk or variety of grape, with no loss of quality to the end consumer and often at the same price.
Counterfeiting these products is a crime but between the specific and controlled labels, it is just not worth the hassle. And internationally, it is even less worth it. South Africa knocks off Port Wine, produced by descendants of portuguese there; we sat down with their Chamber of Commerce and agreed they could call it Port like or Port style but not Port: they sell theirs, using our tradition and reputation, and cross advertise the original.
Same for Lambic. For cheese and alcohol the region is important. All of these products have micro cultures or yeast in them. For Lambic, it’s a naturally occurring yeast. If they allow other beers to be produced in that region, then the commercial yeasts will dominate the natural Lambic yeasts in the finished product, and you will end up with a different end result. So the regional specification is a quality control method to ensure you get the exact same microbiology as has been used for hundreds of years.
The designation “Parmigiano Reggiano” is a protected designation of origin (PDO) in the European Union.
It means that to be able to call a cheese “Parmigiano Reggiano” a producer needs to follow a strict set of rules on how to produce the cheese, how to mature it, how the cows are being fed and it has to be manufactured in a specific area in Italy.
So if someone is making cheese without following the rules and sell it as Parmigiano it would be counterfeit cheese. Just like someone selling lemonade but calling it “Sprite”.
And don’t forget the “origin” part. These designations also include being made in a specific region. You could follow all the rules and exact ingredients for Champagne, but if it’s not made in Champagne, France then you can’t call it Champagne. Same for Cognac, etc.
Except for some wineries in the Napa Valley in California. https://vinepair.com/wine-blog/loophole-california-champagne-legal/
Those European rules don’t apply in the US. You can also make parmigiano reggiano in the US.
Europeans definitely try to enforce rules like this worldwide, and AFAIK they’re mostly successful, at least in developed nations.
I haven’t seen illegitimate Parmagiano Reggiano in the USA. They usually just refer to the US-made version as “parmesan”. I also live relatively close to Napa Valley and pretty much nobody here calls wine Champagne unless it’s actual Champagne, other than a few companies that still use that loophole I linked to.
Removed by mod
True, you don’t see producers selling fake “parmigiano reggiano” in the US (why bother when most Americans only know it as parmesan anyway). But the EU couldn’t stop them. It’d more likely be a matter for US regulators if they consider it deceptive.
I thought parmigiano reggiano was also a protected term/origin in the US. Like Vidalia onions are. Most of the other EU ones aren’t though.
That’s why “parmesan” is a thing - it’s a cheese similar to parmigiano reggiano, but with a shorter minimum aging time, and no requirements on where it’s made or what the cows are fed - parmesan can be made with commodity milk anywhere rather than in one part of Italy from a specific breed of cattle fed at least 50% by grass grown in that part of Italy. Other than the aging time the process is similar, which is why the cheese is similar.
I’m as territorial and proud of what is made in my country as the next dude but the lengths taken to protect some products, especially by french and italian are ridiculous.
I kind of like it, because it becomes a small club where all members know each other and control each other. The product price is directly linked to the quality of the product, so all producers have a vested interest in controlling their neighboring producer.
It also makes sense for agricultural products, where certain climate and earth composition influence the outcome a lot
Off the top of my head I can name three products unique to my country which we made sure to DOP (Protected Origin Denomination). These are:
Every single one of these products is unique, as it has specific production techniques and quality parameters that need to be observed and need to be manufactured in specific regions in order to receive the DOP seal yet we knock off these products ourselves.
There is no need for a specific producer to protect their product with complex and sophisticated techniques like the one in the post because rules are established in seat of law and the seal obtention follows very strict proceedings and regular inspections and quality control.
The knock offs are often manufactured by DOP producers. The end product is similar if not the same as the DOP but fails to observe some minute parameter, like not using a specific milk or variety of grape, with no loss of quality to the end consumer and often at the same price.
Counterfeiting these products is a crime but between the specific and controlled labels, it is just not worth the hassle. And internationally, it is even less worth it. South Africa knocks off Port Wine, produced by descendants of portuguese there; we sat down with their Chamber of Commerce and agreed they could call it Port like or Port style but not Port: they sell theirs, using our tradition and reputation, and cross advertise the original.
Everybody wins.
Same for Lambic. For cheese and alcohol the region is important. All of these products have micro cultures or yeast in them. For Lambic, it’s a naturally occurring yeast. If they allow other beers to be produced in that region, then the commercial yeasts will dominate the natural Lambic yeasts in the finished product, and you will end up with a different end result. So the regional specification is a quality control method to ensure you get the exact same microbiology as has been used for hundreds of years.
In Australia, we actually do use “lemonade” to refer to drinks like Sprite, lol. We don’t really have the American-style non-carbonated lemonade.
You got it backwards. He meant that it’s the same as selling lemonade while trying to pass it as Sprite because of the branding.