I’ve mentioned before how my husband LOVES his cheese. He is serious about cheese and you can tell when he eats. No matter how tasty a dish of mine might be, he adds cheese to it. All the same, his seriousness pales in comparison to Italy and Germany and their current debate in the high courts of the economic union.
In one corner we have Germany who produces no less than 10,000 tons (yep–tons) of cheese per year. Well, not just any cheese. . .that would be 10,000 tons of ‘parmesan’ cheese per year. They have been building a strong case that the term ‘parmesan’ clearly is generic and can be used to describe any hard ‘parmesan’ cheese. It doesn’t have to come from the Italian regions from which the cheese got its name: Parma.
They are accusing the Italians of economic hoarding and say its simply unfair for them to corner the market on ‘parmesan’ cheese. They say that the sprinkly goodness that tops our pizzas and spaghetti is so commonly used, it shouldn’t all have to come from the region near Parma.
In the other corner, we have the Italians. They say that ‘parmesan’ has a special connection with that particular place in Italy and having all the ‘parmesan’ come from that one region of the world attaches an almost mythical quality to it. (Mythical cheese? Is that really important?) It’s a matter of cultural heritage, say the Italians and the Germans are trampling all over their cheese.
The high courts in the economic union failed to definitively take either side in this cheesy dispute. The judge ruled that Germany, had in fact failed to prove that the term ‘parmesan’ was generic and no longer was associated with the city of Parma in Italy. However, an advisor to the high court said it was acceptable for Germany to keep making the stuff and labeling it ’parmesan’.
If Italy wins, the price of your Parmesan is about to go up. . .way up. If Germany wins it’s business as usual. The high court is expected to rule later this year.
Before the price of parmesan changes forever, try out these recipes: