Parmigiano-Reggiano makers are putting edible microchips the size of a grain of sand into their 90-pound cheese wheels to combat counterfeiters::Italian Parmigiano-Reggiano makers are using microchips to verify the authenticity of their products and thwart scammers.
You’re not crazy, I was just fucking around. People aren’t agreeing with me, they recognize I’m joking, and they are probably downvoting you because you responded as though I was being serious.
There’s an old reference that Champagne isn’t Champagne unless it comes from the Champagne region of France. Otherwise it’s sparkling wine. It’s become a meme (although the joke predates the popular use of the term “meme”) to say X isn’t X unless yadda yadda sparkling Y. I left the bit about it being from France because I thought it would be funny to be confidently incorrect about that, like all of Europe is French.
I really didn’t know how much Italian cheese is known abroad. Usually the French specialties are more famous.
In the USA, parigiana is practically synonymous with italian food. We have this powdered cheese product that comes in a plastic can that sort of replicates the msg flavor but has a gritty feel due to an anti-caking agent we add to the powder.
But fancy italian cheeses are widely available as well, and many grocery stores carry proper parmesan, romano, provolone, pecorino, gorgonzola, asiago, mascarpone, ricotta, and of course mozzarella. Ironically, it’s the areas where dairy farming is most popular where you find fewer international options, but that’s just because there will be 20 local variations of cheddar.