Cheesemaking is big business. In 2014 for example, the world production of cheese from cow’s milk was estimated at 18.7 million tonnes. Now that’s a lot of cheese and it doesn’t even include many other types of cheese that are also produced. Obviously, with such a large scale of cheese production going on in the world, there are going to be many types of cheese produced and within these cheeses, there is a going to exist a whole range of differing qualities.

Certain places are particularly known for producing quality cheeses. France, Switzerland, and Holland, to name but three, all have a good reputation in the cheese world. Arguably though, Italy produces some of the best-loved cheeses around. Famous cheeses can often come at a price. In this article, we are going to think about why this is and whether cheap Italian cheese is really worth it.

It’s all about where it’s from 

The quality of products is often closely associated with their origin. Indeed, in the Russian language, the expression ‘Chinese’ is actually used to describe a product that breaks easily. In the case of cheese, there are a number of types of cheese that have a good reputation and certain countries and areas of the world that renowned for their cheese production.

For this reason, Italian cheeses are often labeled DOP, which stands for ‘Denominazione di Origine Protetta’. In English, this translates as ‘Protected Designation of Origin’. It refers to the fact that according to European Law, certain cheeses can only be produced in particular regions of Italy. In other words, cheeses bearing a DOP label are in effect certified as having been made in a specific region, using traditional methods.

The taste and quality of a cheese are obviously going to be greatly influenced by the way it is made. As well as this, they can also be affected by the location in which the cheese is made. This is because the properties of the milk from which the cheese is made will differ depending on the diet, and even the general environment in which the cow or another animal that has produced the milk, has lived in.

These DOP cheeses are going to be more expensive than other more locally produced ‘Italian’ cheeses as they have a stamp of authenticity plus transportation costs due to the very specific region in which they can be produced.

Parmesan, not quite what you might expect

Parmesan is one of the best known Italian cheeses. It is used all over the world, particularly in grated form to flavour pasta dishes. The name Parmesan is the English way of describing something from the city of Parma, which is in one of the regions of Italy where this type of cheese was first produced.

The cheese its self is grainy and crumbly, with a crystalline structure formed over a period of ageing. It can be aged for different lengths of time to produce slightly different textures and flavours.

In the European Union, the name Parmesan can only be used to refer to a DOP cheese produced in a certain region of Italy. For this reason, cheese llabelledParmesan is usually quite expensive. However, there are other cheeses available that are cheaper and are similar to authentic Parmesan cheese. Some of these cheaper alternative cheeses are probably not very high quality, but that’s not necessarily the case for all of them.

In the USA, the use of the name Parmesan is not regulated, so a cheese labeled Parmesan could be the authentic DOP variety or a cheaper alternative. In taste tests, almost every time the DOP Parmesan came out the winner. The one exception was Sarvecchio cheese made in Wisconsin, which was close to the authentic Italian version.

Parmigiano-Reggiano, the real deal

The Italian name for Parmesan cheese is Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is the Italian way of saying ‘from Parma’ and ‘from Reggio Emilia’, another Italian city also in a region where Parmesan cheese was historically produced.

The production of DOP Parmigiano-Reggiano is closely monitored thus ensuring a quality product. The cows from which the milk comes are fed a strict diet of local grass and natural animal feed. The milk itself is processed fresh and by a skilled cheesemaker. 14 liters of milk is used to produce one kilogram of cheese. In other words, around 550 liters of milk go into making just one wheel of Parmigiano-Reggiano. The cheese is handmade and during the aging process independently quality controlled by the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese consortium.

As you might expect, this detailed and controlled production method guarantees a good final product but also means a higher price.

Getting the most out of your cheese

From this discussion, we can see that cheap Italian cheese actually comes at a price. In the case of Parmesan cheese, cheaper versions, have probably gone through a less strict production process and so are likely to be of a lower quality. Indeed, in America, it is allowed that Parmesan cheese have up to 4% cellulose added to them as an anti-caking agent. Such details as this obviously reduce the quality of the cheese.

For someone on a tight budget then, simply buying the cheapest cheese available is not necessarily the best option. It’s best to buy from the deli counter a wedge of cheese cut from a wheel, rather than grated cheese from the supermarket aisle. The wedge of cheese might be more expensive, but it will be higher quality meaning you can use less to achieve the same flavoursome results. Overall then, the extra money will be worth it.

A second thing to do is to be careful about which company has produced the cheese. There was once a case of Pennsylvania cheese manufacturer, whose Parmesan cheese was actually found to contain no Parmesan! Investigate the company and brand of cheese and go for the cheaper alternatives that are nevertheless made by reputable companies, such as the Sarveccio mentioned above.

You get what you pay for

There’s a saying, ‘you get what you pay for’ and this seems to be the case for cheese. As we have seen, there is cheaper Parmesan cheese for example, but they are lower quality. I recommend investing a little more in buying DOP Parmesan cheese or at least cheese from reputable producers. The extra cost will be well worth it as the cheese will be better quality and in the long term, you will probably use less and so recuperate some of the extra money.

If you would like to try a selection of Italian cheeses, click here. Feel free to share any comments below: