Parmesan

Parmesan
Country of origin	Italy
Region	Emilia-Romagna Lombardy
Town	Provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna (west of the Reno) and Mantua (on the right/south bank of the Po)
Source of milk	Cows (mostly Friesian and Reggiana cattle)
Pasteurised	No
Texture	Hard
Aging time	Minimum: 12 months Vecchio: 18–24 months Stravecchio: 24–36 months
Certification	Italy: DOP: 1955 EU: PDO: 1992
Related media on Commons

Parmesan (Italian: Parmigiano Reggiano, Italian: [parmiˈdʒaːno redˈdʒaːno]) is an Italian hard, granular cheese produced from cow's milk and aged at least 12 months or, outside the European Union, a locally produced imitation.

The full, legally protected, name of the Italian cheese is Parmigiano Reggiano. It is named after two of the areas which produce it, the Italian provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia (Parmigiano is the Italian adjective for the city of Parma and Reggiano is the adjective for the region of Reggio Emilia); in addition to Reggio Emilia and Parma, it is also produced in the part of Bologna west of the River Reno and in Modena (all of the above being located in the Emilia-Romagna region), as well as in the part of Mantua (Lombardy) which is on the south bank of the River Po.

The words Parmigiano Reggiano and Parmesan are protected designations of origin (PDO) for cheeses produced in these provinces under Italian and European law.^[1] Outside the EU, the name Parmesan is legally used for similar cheeses, with only the full Italian name unambiguously referring to PDO Parmigiano Reggiano.

It has been called the "king of cheeses"^[2] and "practically perfect food".^[3] In 2023, the guide TasteAtlas picked Parmigiano Reggiano as the best cheese in the world.^[4]