Among Italian exports there is often abuse or inappropriate use of the Made in Italy brand. This includes Parmigiano Reggiano, one of the most used ingredients in Italian recipes. The PDO Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium estimates that the false parmesan business outside of the European Union - ranging from parmesao in Brasil to reggianito in Argentina as well as parmesan common on all continents - is 2 billion euros for about 200 thousand tons of product, a good fifteen times the volume of the amount of PDO Parmigiano Reggiano that is exported. Only imitation Americans like Parmigiano so much that numerous companies try to copy it. And so, “Parmesan” was born. It has a name that vaguely recalls the cheese produced in Italy, but it has nothing to be shared with the original. Flavours, colours, traditions, quality of raw ingredients, and aging times are so different that imitating it is impossible. Parmigiano Reggiano is the result of an ancient cheese-making culture that those who copy it do not have. One of the most evident differences is with the flavour; with the original, the cheese acquires different variations based on the number of months that it is aged. Young Parmigiano Reggiano is sweeter, but as it ages it gains a salty note, while never losing a pleasant spicy hint. Plus, it is impossible to replicate a flavour that depends on the different grazing pastures and on the care with which the dairy workers produce a cheese with a glorious 57
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