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As someone who grew up in the Parmigiano Reggiano production zone and whose family is member of a Parmigiano co-op, I can tell you that it is possible to taste

As someone who grew up in the Parmigiano Reggiano production zone and whose family is member of a Parmigiano co-op, I can tell you that it is possible to taste the difference between Parmigiano, grana padano, and the parmesan clones. It boils down to what you use the cheese for. If you just want to grate it on some pasta, you can use whatever. If you are making tortellini, you better use the 36-month cheese from your casaro (cheese maker). Edit: Compare the picture of the cheese you link to this one: http://www.caseificioboiardo.it/en/eshop/parmigiano-reggiano-12-months/ http://www.caseificioboiardo.it/en/eshop/parmigiano-reggiano... You can notice right away that the cheese has a different consistency. The American clone is smoother (it looks almost like plastic). The 12-month Parmigiano Reggiano (the youngest "age" that the cheese can be sold as PR) is textured. That signals that the amount of moisture in the American clone is off and that will effect the aging of the cheese and ultimately its taste.

m000 8y ago
Since you seem to have a first-hand perspective on the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, would you care to comment on the claims of CIWF [1,2] about animal welfare in the region? The situation they describe is quite the opposite of the idyllic pictures in the BBC article. Is the kind of abuse described by CIWF on the rise? Is it specific farms that engage in it? Does the co-op take any measures against them? Can they lose their PDO seal for such abuses? [1] https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2017/11/the-cruel-truth-behind-parmesan-that-is-hard-to-stomach https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2017/11/the-cruel-truth-behind-... [2] https://www.ciwf.org.uk/philip-lymbery/blog/2017/11/hard-cheese-hard-life https://www.ciwf.org.uk/philip-lymbery/blog/2017/11/hard-che...
- pacbard 8y ago
  In my experience, I have never seen or heard of anyone grazing their milk cows. I also haven't seen cows being abused or underweight (I don't think that an underweight milk cow would produce much milk, so that wouldn't make sense). Generally, cows are kept in barns and are usually tied to a rail. This is what I have in mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij6ZpBwSo&t=3m12s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij6ZpBwSo&t=3m12s or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ili9d4OmURk&t=1m3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ili9d4OmURk&t=1m3s As far as I know, cows have been traditionally kept like that, as old barns have a similar set up. It looks like ciwf is advocating for milk cows to be grazing. I don't think that it is feasible given the current economic and geographical limitations of the Parmiginao Reggiano production zone. Economically, making cheese is barely profitable, with most farmers just making it. Most of the cheese is sold in bulk to wholesalers in the form of "futures". They buy the whole production for a year (for example) before the cheese is ready. That allows the cheese maker to pay the farmers in advance but that also makes it so they can't demand much for the cheese. The other option is to wait and try to sell it directly but they run the risk of not selling the whole stock (also, consider that the cheese as a very short shelf life, as once a cheese form is open it needs to be sold). Geographically, there isn't really much space for grazing cows. The pianura padana is probably one of the most densely populated areas in Italy. Plus, it is also where most Italian industry is located. I don't think it would be possible to find enough space for all the cows even if it were economically viable.

m000 8y ago

Since you seem to have a first-hand perspective on the production of Parmigiano Reggiano, would you care to comment on the claims of CIWF [1,2] about animal welfare in the region? The situation they describe is quite the opposite of the idyllic pictures in the BBC article. Is the kind of abuse described by CIWF on the rise? Is it specific farms that engage in it? Does the co-op take any measures against them? Can they lose their PDO seal for such abuses? [1] https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2017/11/the-cruel-truth-behind-parmesan-that-is-hard-to-stomach https://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/2017/11/the-cruel-truth-behind-... [2] https://www.ciwf.org.uk/philip-lymbery/blog/2017/11/hard-cheese-hard-life https://www.ciwf.org.uk/philip-lymbery/blog/2017/11/hard-che...

pacbard 8y ago
In my experience, I have never seen or heard of anyone grazing their milk cows. I also haven't seen cows being abused or underweight (I don't think that an underweight milk cow would produce much milk, so that wouldn't make sense). Generally, cows are kept in barns and are usually tied to a rail. This is what I have in mind: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij6ZpBwSo&t=3m12s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YZij6ZpBwSo&t=3m12s or this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ili9d4OmURk&t=1m3s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ili9d4OmURk&t=1m3s As far as I know, cows have been traditionally kept like that, as old barns have a similar set up. It looks like ciwf is advocating for milk cows to be grazing. I don't think that it is feasible given the current economic and geographical limitations of the Parmiginao Reggiano production zone. Economically, making cheese is barely profitable, with most farmers just making it. Most of the cheese is sold in bulk to wholesalers in the form of "futures". They buy the whole production for a year (for example) before the cheese is ready. That allows the cheese maker to pay the farmers in advance but that also makes it so they can't demand much for the cheese. The other option is to wait and try to sell it directly but they run the risk of not selling the whole stock (also, consider that the cheese as a very short shelf life, as once a cheese form is open it needs to be sold). Geographically, there isn't really much space for grazing cows. The pianura padana is probably one of the most densely populated areas in Italy. Plus, it is also where most Italian industry is located. I don't think it would be possible to find enough space for all the cows even if it were economically viable.