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> I guess the reason why the Italian consortium sent this (otherwise stupid) cease-and-desist to this poor Australian guy, is because they're desperately trying

> I guess the reason why the Italian consortium sent this (otherwise stupid) cease-and-desist to this poor Australian guy, is because they're desperately trying to defend the real stuff from the fakes. It's not "otherwise stupid" it _is_ stupid. They should be going after the counterfeiters not someone who is both trying to educate people on making as authentic a cheese as possible while simultaneously making very clear that his cheese is not a true grana padano. Personally after seeing the consortium act like this, I consider all their other actions suspect. In my mind, this weakens their legitimacy as an organization. I'm sure I'm not the only person with this reaction. > I sympathize with the guy, but it's a global battle; and organizations that are supposed to defend the consumer are doing next to nothing (expecially in the US). This is not about protecting a "brand"; it's about the fact that when you buy grana padano in the US and it's made of sh*t, you as a consumer should be able to tell. That has _nothing_ to do with this youtuber.

simonebrunozzi 6y ago
> That has _nothing_ to do with this youtuber. In your view. Not in mine. > trying to educate people on making as authentic a cheese as possible That's the problem. It's never going to be authentic. These kind of cheeses are not just about a recipe; they're also about the ingredients. I don't recall the specific details for grana padano, but to give you an example, the "prosciutto di Parma" is made from pigs who eat a specific type of food that derives from a specific process involving a specific breed of cows (in the nearby area), etc. You can't simply substitute the ingredient and think that it's going to be the same. It's not. And yet, you think it's "authentic".
- Spivak 6y ago
  This kind of attitude is one of the stupidest things you encounter in cooking. Parmesan is a type of cheese that was popularized in two-ish provinces of Italy. It’s not a recipe handed down from God on stone tablets. It’s a product of what people had available at the time and would be different had history been different. Worshiping one specific recipe codified in law that tries to say that literally the exact recipe but made in Montana can’t call itself Parmesan is dumb beyond all reason. Authenticity is a poison on the cooking community and does nothing but make others out of people who should be sharing and experimenting and evolving cuisine taking the lessons from others.
  - simonebrunozzi 6y ago
    I'd agree with you in general; but in this case, it's recipe + ingredients, where the ingredients are really, really hard to replicate elsewhere.
- CogitoCogito 6y ago
  I don’t really know how to respond to this except to say I never said the cheese was authentic and neither did the video. I said “as authentic as possible”. Stop putting words in my mouth.
  - simonebrunozzi 6y ago
    > I never said the cheese was authentic > I said “as authentic as possible” Explain to me how this is "putting words in your mouth". To me, you're trying to focus on "authenticity". My point is that in this particular case, it's not just about the recipe, but specific ingredients that are really hard to replicate. That's why "authentic" shouldn't be the goal.
    - CogitoCogito 6y ago
      I don’t understand what you’re arguing. Here is a guy trying his best to make his cheese as similar to an authentic cheese as possible in taste, texture, etc. You’re saying that shouldn’t be the goal because he will have trouble getting the exact ingredients? So what? He knows he doesn’t have the exact ingredients and is trying his best anyway. All of the limitations are known to all involved. That’s a problem because? What exactly is your point?
jjav 6y ago
> it's about the fact that when you buy grana padano in the US and it's made of sh*t, you as a consumer should be able to tell. While that's a great goal, I wonder why a few categories like champagne and apparently 'grada padano' are trying to protect the category name instead of just the brand like most other types of product? I can buy the $5-for-a-plastic-gallon unbranded tequila or I can buy the $60 Don Julio tequila or some of the very expensive tequilas. Their reputation (or lack of) is in the brand, not in the alcohol category word "tequila".

simonebrunozzi 6y ago

> That has _nothing_ to do with this youtuber. In your view. Not in mine. > trying to educate people on making as authentic a cheese as possible That's the problem. It's never going to be authentic. These kind of cheeses are not just about a recipe; they're also about the ingredients. I don't recall the specific details for grana padano, but to give you an example, the "prosciutto di Parma" is made from pigs who eat a specific type of food that derives from a specific process involving a specific breed of cows (in the nearby area), etc. You can't simply substitute the ingredient and think that it's going to be the same. It's not. And yet, you think it's "authentic".

Spivak 6y ago
This kind of attitude is one of the stupidest things you encounter in cooking. Parmesan is a type of cheese that was popularized in two-ish provinces of Italy. It’s not a recipe handed down from God on stone tablets. It’s a product of what people had available at the time and would be different had history been different. Worshiping one specific recipe codified in law that tries to say that literally the exact recipe but made in Montana can’t call itself Parmesan is dumb beyond all reason. Authenticity is a poison on the cooking community and does nothing but make others out of people who should be sharing and experimenting and evolving cuisine taking the lessons from others.
- simonebrunozzi 6y ago
  I'd agree with you in general; but in this case, it's recipe + ingredients, where the ingredients are really, really hard to replicate elsewhere.
CogitoCogito 6y ago
I don’t really know how to respond to this except to say I never said the cheese was authentic and neither did the video. I said “as authentic as possible”. Stop putting words in my mouth.
- simonebrunozzi 6y ago
  > I never said the cheese was authentic > I said “as authentic as possible” Explain to me how this is "putting words in your mouth". To me, you're trying to focus on "authenticity". My point is that in this particular case, it's not just about the recipe, but specific ingredients that are really hard to replicate. That's why "authentic" shouldn't be the goal.
  - CogitoCogito 6y ago
    I don’t understand what you’re arguing. Here is a guy trying his best to make his cheese as similar to an authentic cheese as possible in taste, texture, etc. You’re saying that shouldn’t be the goal because he will have trouble getting the exact ingredients? So what? He knows he doesn’t have the exact ingredients and is trying his best anyway. All of the limitations are known to all involved. That’s a problem because? What exactly is your point?

jjav 6y ago

> it's about the fact that when you buy grana padano in the US and it's made of sh*t, you as a consumer should be able to tell. While that's a great goal, I wonder why a few categories like champagne and apparently 'grada padano' are trying to protect the category name instead of just the brand like most other types of product? I can buy the $5-for-a-plastic-gallon unbranded tequila or I can buy the $60 Don Julio tequila or some of the very expensive tequilas. Their reputation (or lack of) is in the brand, not in the alcohol category word "tequila".