what is parmesan made of?

Question

I have been informed that it is made of cheese stuff mixed with the lining of cow's guts. I suspect this is a wind-up, but can anyone confirm/deny this vicious rumour? Thanks!

Answer 1

Real Parmesan cheese is made at Parma in Italy (see map). Anything from Parma is, in Italian, "Parmiggiano" (pron. "Par-mee-zhiano), hence the cheese. That is then Anglicised into Parmesan - from Parma. It matures for yonks until it goes hard and vile enough to be a deli speciality. It crumbles to powder (OK on pizze) and can be used in chunks. It's expensive, but worth the price. Never heard of the cow's guts lining idea before, sorry.

Answer 2

Interesting!

"The cheese is traditionally made by mixing whole morning milk with skimmed milk from the previous evening.

The milk is heated and mixed with rennet to form curds, which are pressed in a cheese mold. True Parmesan cheese is molded with a stencil, indicating where and when it was made. The cheese is soaked in a brine bath and then aged for a minimum of two years before being graded for sale."

I had not thought of what it was actually made.
I appears to be just milk though.
Have a look at the links.

Answer 3

That depends on the parmesan.

Yes, rennet - from a calf's stomache is used to make cheese.

Now - "good" parmesan - the stuff you buy in the fridge section that comes in a block - is a dry cheese. Naturally lower in fat. Those labeled stravecchio have been aged 3 years, while stravecchiones are 4 years old.

The ever popular Kraft parmesan which can sit out on the counter indefinitely - is largely cellulose. Which is the same thing your kitchen sponge is made from.

Answer 4

I thought parmesan was a cheese, that's it. Some cheeses contain animal rennet which I think is taken from the animal stomach or something like that. Some cheesey crisps also contain animal rennet, although it's getting less common now. Being vegetarian is a lot easier than it used to be.

Answer 5

Unfortunately it's true. Rennet/ Renin is added to make the milk turn to cheese.

However, not ALL cheeses do, so if you are vegetarian, stick to soft cheeses, and anything of the PHILIDELPHIA brand is made using plant bacteria as a way to form the enzyme.

Answer 6

Parmesean cheese is a hard cows-milk cheese made exclusively in the region near Parma Italy, containing 32% to 35% fat. This is one of the world's oldest and most widely copied cheeses.

In addition:
The only reason it may have rennet in it is beacuse part of the coagulant that is used, is derived from rennet

Answer 7

Parmaesan is a cheese cheeses used to be made from rennet which is a enzyme extracted from the stomachs of calves. these days they have vegetarian alternatives to rennet but if you are eating the real thing it could possibly still be mage using rennet extracted from calves stomachs

(they obviously first have to Kill the calves to get the rennet)

Answer 8

All cheese contains "cow guts" (rennett) as part of the cheese-making process.
Parmesan is cheese. In aged and block form, it is delicious. The pre-grated stuff from the supermarket has an admixture of wax.
You no like? More for the rest of us!

Answer 9

Most parmesan cheese has animal rennet in it. Animal rennet is from a calf's stomach.

Answer 10

it's made of cheese but remember that cheese contains animal rennet xx