Is there such a thing as vegetarian Parmesan?

If you have ever stood in the cheese aisle wondering whether that block of Parmesan is suitable for vegetarians, you are not alone. It is one of the most searched cheese questions in the UK, and the answer surprises a lot of people.

The short version: no, authentic Parmesan is not vegetarian, and it never has been. But there is good news if you love that hard, nutty, savoury cheese on your pasta. Here is the full story.

Why real Parmesan is not vegetarian

Real Parmesan is Parmigiano Reggiano, an Italian cheese made to a legally protected recipe (a PDO, or Protected Designation of Origin). The consortium that makes it is clear that it contains milk, salt and rennet only, and that rennet is animal rennet, taken from the stomach lining of young calves.

Rennet is the enzyme used to set milk into curds. Traditional Parmigiano Reggiano can only use this animal-derived rennet under its protected product specification, which means a genuine wheel of Parmesan simply cannot be made in a vegetarian version. It is baked into the definition of the cheese, and the Vegetarian Society lists it among the cheeses that are not suitable for vegetarians.

There is a second twist. The word “Parmesan” itself is legally tied to Parmigiano Reggiano. The Court of Justice of the European Union ruled in 2008 that “Parmesan” is an evocation of the protected name, so any cheese calling itself Parmesan has to be the real, animal-rennet article. In other words, if something genuinely were “vegetarian Parmesan”, it would not be allowed to call itself Parmesan at all. The term is a contradiction.

What about Grana Padano and Pecorino?

If you were hoping for a loophole with the other famous Italian hard cheeses, we have bad news:

• Grana Padano is also made with animal rennet, and often with egg-derived lysozyme too. Its own producers confirm the rennet is extracted from the calf’s stomach, and the lysozyme from hen egg whites, so it is not vegetarian.
• Pecorino Romano uses lamb rennet, so it is not vegetarian either.

The great traditional Italian grating cheeses are, as a group, off the menu for vegetarians.

So what is rennet, and why does it matter?

Rennet does the essential job of turning liquid milk into solid curds. It comes in two broad types:

• Animal rennet, taken from the stomachs of young calves, lambs or goats. Used in traditional Parmesan, Grana Padano and many classic cheeses.
• Vegetarian rennet, produced by microbial fermentation or from plants, which does exactly the same job without any animal slaughter.

For a cheese to be suitable for vegetarians, it needs to be made with vegetarian rennet from start to finish. Plenty of modern cheeses are, they just cannot be called Parmesan.

What can vegetarians use instead?

This is where it gets happy again. You do not need Parmesan itself, you need a cheese that behaves like it: a hard, aged, savoury Italian-style cheese you can grate, shave and melt. Those absolutely can be made with vegetarian rennet.

When you are shopping, the easiest thing to look for is the Vegetarian Society Approved trademark, or the words “suitable for vegetarians” and “made with vegetarian rennet” on the label. If a hard Italian cheese carries those, you are good to go.

A good vegetarian Italian hard cheese gives you everything you actually wanted from Parmesan on the plate:

• A hard, granular texture that grates and shaves beautifully
• A nutty, savoury, umami-rich flavour
• The ability to melt into sauces or crisp up in the oven

How to use it

Treat a vegetarian Italian hard cheese exactly as you would any hard grating cheese:

• Grate it generously over pasta and risotto
• Shave it into ribbons over salads and roasted vegetables
• Stir it through soups and sauces for depth
• Add it to a cheese board for a firm, savoury option

Our answer: Twineham Grange

At Bookham Harrison Farms we sell Twineham Grange, a vegetarian Italian hard cheese made in Italy with vegetarian rennet. It is Vegetarian Society Approved, naturally gluten-free (so suitable for coeliacs), and aged to that familiar hard, nutty, savoury character.

It is not Parmesan, and we would never claim it is. But if you have been searching for a way to enjoy that classic Italian hard cheese on your pasta without the animal rennet, it is exactly the cheese you have been looking for.