This Is How Parmesan Cheese Is Actually Made

Some foods, you just assume you know how they’re made. Bread? Flour, yeast, oven. Butter? Churned cream. Parmesan cheese? Well… turns out it’s not that simple — and a lot of people are finding out the truth for the first time.

We pile it high on spaghetti bolognese, shave it over carbonara, and sprinkle it onto anything that could use a salty, umami punch. Parmesan is the undisputed king of Italian cheeses.

But after learning what actually goes into making it, plenty of people are questioning whether they’ll ever grate it again.

How Parmesan Is Made

Parmesan — which many people are surprised to learn isn’t vegetarian — starts with cow’s milk that’s aged for at least 12 months in copper vats. During the process, the milk is heated and combined with whey and rennet.

And here’s where things take a turn.

The Courtyard Dairy explains:

“Animal rennet is an enzyme obtained from the fourth stomach of an unweaned calf (this can include veal calves, or even lamb and kid).

At that stage in their life they’ve only consumed milk, so the natural enzyme for coagulating milk (chymosin) is present in large quantities.

As the calves get older the amount of chymosin reduces and other enzymes take its place (those necessary for digesting other foodstuffs).”

Essentially, when a calf is slaughtered, its stomach is removed and dried. Those dried pieces are then cut up and added to the cheese mixture. The enzymes trigger coagulation, and eventually, you’ve got that familiar block of parmesan.

Why People Are Divided

For some, this information was a genuine shock. Many didn’t realize parmesan isn’t vegetarian, and the idea of calf stomachs being part of the process has left some calling it “cruel” and vowing never to buy it again.

Others argue it’s simply a traditional method that’s been used for centuries, no different than other forms of animal byproducts in food.

Either way, parmesan suddenly doesn’t feel quite as straightforward as sprinkling it over pasta. And judging by the reactions online, the debate isn’t going away anytime soon.