You just aren’t allowed to call it literally “Parmigiano Reggiano”, no one is stopping you from making it. “Reggiano” means “(of/from) Reggio (Emilia, a city)”, I don’t see why it’s a problem to forbid calling it that if it’s not made there-ish.
“Grana” is the generic name for that kind of cheese. Its use is not protected
I’m not making a moral statement on the rules. I was just pointing it out.
Also I believe “Parmigiano Reggiano” is a trademark name (i.e., protected) in the US and other non-EU countries, but other versions of the name, like “parmesan” are not. In the EU, you cannot call cheese “parmesan” unless it’s parmigiano reggiano.
Despite the fact that grana padano is widely available in the US, the style is still just referred to as “parmesan” even if it’s the notorious green cannister of pregrated “cheese”.
You just aren’t allowed to call it literally “Parmigiano Reggiano”, no one is stopping you from making it. “Reggiano” means “(of/from) Reggio (Emilia, a city)”, I don’t see why it’s a problem to forbid calling it that if it’s not made there-ish.
“Grana” is the generic name for that kind of cheese. Its use is not protected
I’m not making a moral statement on the rules. I was just pointing it out.
Also I believe “Parmigiano Reggiano” is a trademark name (i.e., protected) in the US and other non-EU countries, but other versions of the name, like “parmesan” are not. In the EU, you cannot call cheese “parmesan” unless it’s parmigiano reggiano.
Despite the fact that grana padano is widely available in the US, the style is still just referred to as “parmesan” even if it’s the notorious green cannister of pregrated “cheese”.