Parmesan vs. Parmigiano Reggiano

Parmesan has been ruined forever.
That is, American Parmesan has been ruined for me forever. That is because Parmigiano Reggiano in Italy is something entirely different than American Parmesan cheese. I mean, the cheese we get from Sam’s Club is pretty good, but it’s definitely an imitation of the stuff we’ve eaten here in the northern part of Italy.
And if you’re eating the pre-shredded stuff (or even better, the stuff that comes in the preprocessed can that is marketed as “finely grated Parmesean cheese”), and you don’t want it to be spoiled for you, then I recommend staying as far away from this region of the world as you possibly can.
Really, the Parmigiano Reggiano alone is worth traveling here for.

Julie S says:

November 28, 2007 at 6:52 pm

You need not travel as far as Northern Italy again…
Your parmigiano reggiano craving can be satisfactorily satisfied at Whole Foods or any good cheese shop or Italian deli.

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Jonathan says:

November 28, 2007 at 6:53 pm

I totally spaced that I had seen Parmigiano at Whole Foods, thinking it was the same thing that we got at Sam’s Club.
But I’m sure it’s not.
Thanks for the suggestion!
(and for continuing to follow our travels)!

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Chris says:

June 8, 2009 at 1:19 am

The cheapo stuff is anything labeled as simply “Parmasan.”
Anything you find in the US that is labeled as “Parmigiano Reggiano” is the real deal. Nothing is labeled as such without following a strict number of criteria. Everything that falls OUTSIDE is where we get “Parmasan.”
There is also a huge difference between “Romano” vs “Pecorino Romano.” The biggest difference is that the latter must be made from sheep’s milk (hence “pecorino”).

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Jonathan Kraft says:

June 8, 2009 at 1:27 am

That is awesome info. Thanks for letting us know. We’ve since found a few places to get the real Parmigiano Reggiano, even though it’s not the same as when you’re eating it in Italy. (That probably goes without saying.)
But we now have a Sunflower Market and a Sprouts close to us, both of which carry the real Parmigiano Reggiano, and our local King Soopers stores (part of the Kroger chain) have started carrying them as well.
Where do you live/buy your Parmigiano?

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