I thought parmigiano reggiano was also a protected term/origin in the US. Like Vidalia onions are. Most of the other EU ones aren’t though.
That’s why “parmesan” is a thing - it’s a cheese similar to parmigiano reggiano, but with a shorter minimum aging time, and no requirements on where it’s made or what the cows are fed - parmesan can be made with commodity milk anywhere rather than in one part of Italy from a specific breed of cattle fed at least 50% by grass grown in that part of Italy. Other than the aging time the process is similar, which is why the cheese is similar.
I thought parmigiano reggiano was also a protected term/origin in the US. Like Vidalia onions are. Most of the other EU ones aren’t though.
That’s why “parmesan” is a thing - it’s a cheese similar to parmigiano reggiano, but with a shorter minimum aging time, and no requirements on where it’s made or what the cows are fed - parmesan can be made with commodity milk anywhere rather than in one part of Italy from a specific breed of cattle fed at least 50% by grass grown in that part of Italy. Other than the aging time the process is similar, which is why the cheese is similar.