Well I hope there's a way to remove those trackers, I always put the rinds in soups and stuff so it would piss me off a lot to learn there's some non-food related stuff in it.
Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
81–90 of 317 posts
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#82OT, but I just have to say, as someone who buys "Parmesan" cheese that typically hails from Wisconsin, there is just no comparison with legit Parmigiano-Reggiano. It's the same with "Gruyere" and Gruyère -- a wholly unique cheese with a depth of flavor and character that is just inimitable, no matter how good or faithful the imitation may be. That being said, I'm not ashamed at all to say that the Parmesan I use most…
One thing I miss about my old place in the city was the ridiculously expensive market on my block that carried all of the "real" cheese. The real stuff was so fantastic and flavorful that I usually used far less of it, which partially offset the cost. I also got a $20 jar of pasta sauce there once. I was embarrassed at how much I paid and didn't tell my wife. After her first taste, her reaction was "OMG, what is this…
If you can get good canned tomatoes (I like the Flora brand San Marzano D.O.P, about $5.50 for a 28oz can), this is a great 20 minute recipe that will usually beat any pre-made sauce: https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015987-classic-marinara...
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#83OT, but I just have to say, as someone who buys "Parmesan" cheese that typically hails from Wisconsin, there is just no comparison with legit Parmigiano-Reggiano. It's the same with "Gruyere" and Gruyère -- a wholly unique cheese with a depth of flavor and character that is just inimitable, no matter how good or faithful the imitation may be. That being said, I'm not ashamed at all to say that the Parmesan I use most…
> a wholly unique cheese Not unique - there's a cheese-shop up the road that sells a mature Gruyère that is quite different from their standard-price Gruyère, which in turn is quite unlike supermarket Gruyère. And that's all on the Swiss side of the border - Comté is the same stuff, but made 100 metres away.
Comté tastes similar, but it's still different than Gruyère IMHO.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#84I'm curious to know which cheesemakers are using these chips. If you look at a wheel of Parmigiano (a whole one), you will see a number stamped on it. That's the cheesemaker's matriculation number in the consortium. There are 313 active ones right now. Some of them are very big (especially the ones in the lowlands) and some of them are very small (mostly the ones up in the hills). The small cheesemakers have trouble…
I love the fact about them being coops and having the ability to borrow with their cheese as collateral. It is so old world and so wholesome. I'd like to borrow against my cheese one day.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#85YOU WOULDN'T DOWNLOAD A CHEESE!
Can't duplicate a moldy cheese anyway. It's not fungi-able.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#86Earlier quoted context omitted.
None of those are eating the rind. They are putting the wine in broth for seasoning.
Adding it to risotto isn’t eating it? What are you doing with YOUR risotto?!
In general, the rind is put into food and removed before eating. Kind of like you are making the liquid into a sort of cheese tea... or the way you would season something with a sprig of rosemary, a cinnamon stick, or other spices that you remove before eating.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#87I found technical details about the device: https://www.isenet.it/product/pharmaseq-products/ It's tiny (500 microns), passive, photocell-powered (you point a laser at it), and encapsulated in an inert SiO2 coating.
I know the company - it's a family business, focused on making great tools for scientists
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#88OT, but I just have to say, as someone who buys "Parmesan" cheese that typically hails from Wisconsin, there is just no comparison with legit Parmigiano-Reggiano. It's the same with "Gruyere" and Gruyère -- a wholly unique cheese with a depth of flavor and character that is just inimitable, no matter how good or faithful the imitation may be. That being said, I'm not ashamed at all to say that the Parmesan I use most…
I'm surprised that cheese imported from America is cheaper than Italian cheese. (I'm presuming you're in the EU, based on your Aldi comment.)
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#89OT, but I just have to say, as someone who buys "Parmesan" cheese that typically hails from Wisconsin, there is just no comparison with legit Parmigiano-Reggiano. It's the same with "Gruyere" and Gruyère -- a wholly unique cheese with a depth of flavor and character that is just inimitable, no matter how good or faithful the imitation may be. That being said, I'm not ashamed at all to say that the Parmesan I use most…
The weird thing is, I don't see that much of a price difference between high-end "domestic" parmesan cheeses and the proper Parmigiano-Reggiano. The Saravecchio Parmesan (that's the Wisconsin domestic you're referring to, I assume) is about $17.99/lb, and the real, imported stuff is about $20/lb--even cheaper at places like Costco. So why not just get the real thing?
Where are you buying your Wisconsin cheese for that much? I’m in the southeast and at Publix I can buy a wedge of Wisconsin Parmesan for half the price of the Italian Parmesan.
Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud
#90> according to the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium (the official trade group for the cheese) the amount of fraud is almost as big as product sales: Authentic Parmigiano Reggiano sales are around $2.44 billion while fraudulent cheese is a $2.08 billion market. I wonder what they consider fraud. Is it that anything which says "parmesan cheese" on it without being official Parmigiano Reggiano is considered fraud? That is…
I believe it's the latter. > the FDA investigated a cheese factory in Pennsylvania and found that the cheese it was selling as “100% grated parmesan” was actually cut with fillers like wood pulp and contained exactly 0% real Parmesan cheese, using instead cheaper varieties like Swiss and cheddar. That particular producer was busted and heavily fined due to a tip-off from a former employee, but similar practices are s…
> cut with fillers like wood pulp
Label fraud aside, I really don't understand the vitriol that gets directed against grated cheese being sold with cellulose. It's only there to make the cheese shake out better (which it does well, you can buy grated cheese without cellulose to compare it to) And besides, there's nothing wrong with cellulose in the first place. You eat loads of cellulose every time you eat lettuce. Sure they get it from trees, but so what? I really don't see what the big deal is, assuming the labels are accurate. The fraud is a serious matter, but the "wood pulp" is inoffensive.