Picture this: You’re in the grocery store, picking out a cheese to sprinkle over your bowl (or blate) of onion-buttered noodles or rigatoni with vodka sauce. You spot the section of the cheese aisle that could be described, loosely speaking, as “Italian.” You scan each row and see several options that could fit the bill—craggy hunks labeled “Parmigiano Reggiano,” neat isosceles triangles that read “Parmesan,” and a whole host of pre-grated tubs sporting either one name or the other. Are these actually different products? Are they interchangeable? It’s a reasonable question, though the answer can be a little bit confusing. While the cheeses share similarities, Parmigiano Reggiano and Parmesan are not the same thing.
Parmigiano Reggiano hails from Italy, specifically from the Emilia-Romagna region (including the provinces of Parma and Emilia Reggio, giving the cheese its name) in the northern part of the country. As a legally-protected product—the cheese holds DOP (denominazione d'origine protetta) status—Parmigiano Reggiano must be produced in these designated areas, which align with its historical provenance. So, when you grab a hunk of parm at the store and see ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ imprinted onto the rind or on the label, know that you’re getting the real thing.