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Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

foodandwine.com

161–170 of 317 posts

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#161
post #150

Great, so we are now being fed microchips. "Honey is the parmezzan more old or are we munching on microchips?"

It's in the rind, which you'd be hard pressed to eat!

And technically it's in the casein label in the rind, which is not eaten anyway.

It already has the batch number etc.

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#162

OT, 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 lucky thing about living in Melbourne, Australia is the large Italian migrant community here (the largest number of Italian's living outside of Italy, live here). Meaning that we have few dedicated markets here that import goods from Italy, including legitimate Parmigiano Reggiano (and Pecorino Romano which is worth trying). The real stuff has these wonderful salt crystals in it that crunch as you eat it.

Nothing beats Cacio E Pepe made with the real deal Pecorino. So simple and deceptively difficult to master but the payoff is divine.

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#163
post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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...

Here’s a version by the same chef without the paywall: https://lidiasitaly.com/recipes/marinara-sauce-2/

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#164

> 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…

From my memory of reading Real Food, Fake Food , they don't care about the term "parmesan"--that term has been rendered generic, much like "champagne" in the US. But "Parmigiano Reggiano" is a protected term with a PDO ("protected designation of origin"). That's the one they care about. [0] https://www.amazon.com/Real-Food-Youre-Eating-About/dp/16162...

Thanks, this is the answer to my question!

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#165

OT, 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?

It's not clear they're referring to Sarvecchio. Some people think Sarvecchio is as good as real Parmigiano.

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#166
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's in the rind, which you'd be hard pressed to eat!

Pretty mainstream to use Parmesan cheese rinds as part of making soups and stews of various kinds https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-use-parmesan-chees...

I eat it directly. Quite like the texture actually

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#167
post #150

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's in the rind, which you'd be hard pressed to eat!

In New Jersey at least, King's supermarkets sell chopped up rind in small containers. Source: my Italian mom buys them for me and I munch on them all the time.

Doesn't the rind have wax? (same as candle wax)

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#168
post #84
post #15

I'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.

No post body was provided.

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#169

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Information is the only way to shed light on lies. If you have to hide information, you’re just adding to the lies

It's the only way, and it usually doesn't work. Lies win, because reality is fighting with one hand tied behind its back. Truth is nearly always boring because it's forced to be consistent. Lies have no such limitations. Truth does have the advantage that it appeals to people who aren't complete dumbfucks. Which is to say, a tiny minority.

The average person is much more susceptible to lies that seem evident than truths that are difficult. By proxy, it seems you're also making a statement on the intelligence of the average individual?

Re: Parmigiano Reggiano makers embedding tiny trackers in rind to fight cheese fraud

#170
post #118

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Right, but the whole point here is that central authorities authenticate the cheese

No, I don't think so. From the article I think there is a trade association that views fraud as a problem and thinks that that a verifiable provenance would help. I don't see an implication that the trade association or its members are particularly concerned about internal diversion or substitution of the product. It seems plausible that they think enabling consumers or merchants to verify cheese authenticity will re…

But what does distributing it get them? They don't need to resist sibyl attacks, and they explicitly don't want to let just anyone... Mine cheesecoin, so to speak. Just create a central CA, have it sign each authorized cheese maker's certificate, and have customers verify signatures. Or do lookups against a central database.
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