Parmigiano Reggiano vs parmesan: one cheese in Europe, two in America

In the European Union, “Parmesan” can only mean Parmigiano Reggiano. The EU Court of Justice ruled in 2008, in case C-132/05, that the word evokes the protected name. In the United States, parmesan is a generic standard that a dairy in any country can meet: a hard cheese cured for at least 10 months. Parmigiano Reggiano itself must age at least 12 months, come from one defined zone of northern Italy, and be made from raw milk, salt and calf rennet with nothing added. On a shop shelf, the dotted lettering on the rind is the first thing to look for.

“Parmesan” in the EUParmigiano Reggiano only

“Parmesan” in the US21 CFR 133.165

US minimum cure10 months

Parmigiano minimum12 months

Parmigiano milkRaw, no heat treatment

Parmigiano zone5 provinces, 2 regions

Car, or no car?A dairy visit booked direct costs €15–35. What the tours below sell is the ride out to the dairy by 9am, and the ham and balsamic stops.

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There are three things here, not two

Most of the arguments I hear about this start from the idea that parmesan is either the same cheese as Parmigiano Reggiano or a copy of it. Neither is quite right, because the word means different things depending on which side of the Atlantic you are standing on. So I keep three things apart: the word “Parmesan” as European law reads it, the word “parmesan” as American law reads it, and the cheese that is made every morning in the dairies around my home town. Once those are separate, the question answers itself.

In the EU, Parmesan is a protected word

On 26 February 2008 the EU Court of Justice decided case C-132/05 and held that “Parmesan” evokes the protected designation Parmigiano Reggiano. In practice that means that inside the European Union, the English word is not a loophole. A cheese that is not made under the Parmigiano Reggiano rules cannot borrow the word Parmesan to get onto a shelf. The judgment is on EUR-Lex, under case C-132/05, and it is short enough to skim.

So if you are anywhere in the EU and a label says Parmesan, the law treats it as a claim to be the real thing. That is the EU half of the answer.

In the US, parmesan is a recipe standard

American law does the opposite. The Food and Drug Administration keeps a standard of identity for parmesan at 21 CFR 133.165, and it defines the cheese by what it is, not where it comes from. It may contain at most 32 percent moisture, its solids must contain at least 32 percent milkfat, and it must be cured for at least 10 months. There is no origin requirement at all. A wedge sold as parmesan in an American supermarket can be made in the United States or in any other country and still be exactly what its label says.

I want to be fair to it. American parmesan is not a fake Parmigiano Reggiano. It is a different cheese that shares a name, legally and openly. It is simply held to a looser rule: two months less aging at the minimum, and none of the constraints on place, milk and ingredients that follow below.

	Parmesan in the US	Parmigiano Reggiano
Rule	Federal standard, 21 CFR 133.165	The disciplinare, a protected EU designation
Minimum age	10 months	12 months, with no maximum
Where it can be made	Any country	Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna left of the Reno, Mantua right of the Po
What the rule fixes	Moisture at most 32%, milkfat in solids at least 32%	Raw milk, salt and calf rennet; no additives or preservatives

What the real thing has to be

Parmigiano Reggiano is made under a set of production rules, the disciplinare, and they are strict. The milk is raw, meaning it gets no heat treatment, and the evening and morning milk has to reach the dairy within two hours of milking. Silage is forbidden in the cows’ feed. The only other ingredients are salt and calf rennet, plus a natural whey starter kept back from the day before. No additives, no preservatives. Each wheel ages for at least 12 months, and most of what is sold is 24 to 36 months old.

The zone is the part people most often get wrong. It is the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena, plus the part of the province of Bologna left of the River Reno and the part of the province of Mantua right of the River Po. Mantua is in Lombardy, so the zone reaches beyond Parma and beyond Emilia-Romagna. I have written out the morning in the vat step by step on how Parmigiano Reggiano is made.

How to tell them apart on the shelf

Parmigiano Reggiano carries its identity on the rind, and there are three marks to know.

The dotted lettering. “PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO” is written in pin dots all the way round the side of the wheel, together with the dairy’s number and the month and year of production.
The casein plate, a small label pressed into the rind with a unique code for that wheel.
The fire-brand, the Consorzio’s oval mark, which goes on only after the wheel has passed inspection at 12 months.

Two further marks tell you about quality rather than identity. A second-grade wheel, called Mezzano, has parallel lines engraved into it. A wheel that fails outright has its marks scraped off, and it can no longer be sold as Parmigiano Reggiano at all.

Worth knowingA piece with no lettering on it is not necessarily fake. The dots run round the side of a wheel that weighs 30 kg at the very least, and that wheel is cut into many wedges. Plenty of genuine wedges end up with a rind showing a few dots, or none, and grated cheese has no rind at all. Dotted lettering is good evidence; its absence proves nothing either way. Where you can, buy from a counter that cuts from a wheel you can see.

In the United States, the simplest test is the word itself. If the label says Parmigiano Reggiano and the rind shows the dots, you are holding the Italian cheese. If it says parmesan, you are holding something made to the federal standard, which may be perfectly good and is a different product.

The easiest way to be sure

Buy it at the dairy. Dairies sell direct from their own shop, the spaccio, and the wheels in the aging room behind it are the ones you just walked past. You can book a visit yourself, without a tour, and I have set out exactly how on visiting a dairy without a tour. If you are planning to carry some home, read bringing cheese home first, because the rules for Britain changed in 2025.

See it made: check dates

Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, on all seven tours listed here. Arriving late is different: some operators treat it as a no-show, with no refund.

Cheapest near Parma

Frequently asked questions

Is parmesan the same as Parmigiano Reggiano?

In the European Union, legally yes: the EU Court of Justice ruled in case C-132/05 (26 February 2008) that “Parmesan” evokes the protected name, so it cannot be used for anything else. In the United States, no. There parmesan is a generic federal standard, 21 CFR 133.165, that a cheese from any country can meet.

Why can American cheese be called parmesan?

Because US law defines parmesan by composition and aging, not origin: at most 32% moisture, at least 32% milkfat in the solids, and at least 10 months of curing. It is a different cheese sharing a name openly, not a counterfeit of the Italian one.

How can I tell if Parmigiano Reggiano is real?

Look at the rind for the dotted “PARMIGIANO-REGGIANO” lettering, which also shows the dairy number and production month and year, and for the Consorzio’s oval fire-brand. A small wedge may show few dots or none, because the lettering runs round the side of a very large wheel, so no lettering is not proof of a fake.

Is Parmigiano Reggiano aged longer than parmesan?

At the minimum, yes: 12 months against the US standard’s 10. In practice the gap is wider, because most Parmigiano Reggiano sold is 24 to 36 months old. The age bands and what they taste like are on how it is made.

Is Parmigiano Reggiano vegetarian?

No. The production rules require calf rennet, and nothing else may be used to set the milk. The short answer is here.