Hard Italian parmesan cheese is used in many dishes to add a touch of piquancy. Real Parmesan is created from large quantities of milk and sometimes matures for up to three years. Unsurprisingly, the price of such a product is quite high. It is for this reason that there is often a desire to replace it with some other, cheaper analogue.
Parmesan production technology
Parmesan production starts every year on the same day - April 1st. To create one head, the standard weight of which is about 40 kg, you need 550 liters of milk. The finished cheese is aged for a year in special barrels, and then checked for quality. If the consistency turns out to be non-uniform or air gets into the product, it is marked with a special stamp, which allows it to be sold under a different name. Parmesan, approved by experts, is aged for another year or two, and then marked with a burnt brand and marked with the inscription Parmigiano Reggiano.
Dishes to which Parmesan is added
Thanks to its brittle grainy-scaly structure and original taste, Parmesan has long been added to many Italian dishes as a finishing touch. Most often they are sprinkled with pasta, risotto, polenta or pizza, as well as some meat or fish dishes cooked in the oven. This cheese is famous for the fact that it does not leave lumps when melted and does not become viscous.
Parmesan is also added to various salads, including Caesar, and even to some soups. In the homeland of this product, in the Emilia-Romagna region, it is often used for dessert in combination with walnuts, pears or grapes. Parmesan is also often used as an independent wine snack.
Cheeses replacing parmesan
Replacing a whole piece of Parmesan cheese with any other cheese is almost impossible, since those who know the taste of this product will certainly recognize a fake. But in dishes that require grated Parmesan for a recipe, you can add a different kind of cheese. So, for making lasagna, pasta casserole or pizza where the cheese should melt, it is best to use Lithuanian Dziugas or Rokiskis, but any Dutch hard cheese is also suitable. At worst, you can use Russian hard cheese.
In salads, risottos or any other dishes that require thinly sliced parmesan plates, you can put Italian Grana Padano cheese. The latter resembles Parmesan with a grainy texture and piquant taste with a slight nutty flavor, but it is slightly saltier. Nevertheless, the taste difference between these two types will be determined only by a true connoisseur of Italian cheeses.
Less similar to Parmesan is the aged Swiss Gruyere cheese, which has a nutty flavor and a pungent spicy aroma. However, its color is more yellow, and the cooking technology is different. But it can also be used grated or as thin plates.
