A Definitive Answer to the Viral TikTok Debate: Is Parmesan Cheese Vegetarian?
And what on earth is animal rennet?
Cheese: It’s the fine line between vegetarian and vegan—and a dietary mainstay for more than 7 million Americans who choose to go meat-free. After all, between feta, mozzarella, cheddar and brie, there sure is a lot to love. The same goes for Parmesan—or at least, it used to: A recent viral TikTok video ousting Parmesan as a meat-containing product has vegetarians scratching their heads and asking "is Parmesan cheese vegetarian?"
TikToker @Sara.x.Sarah is the vegetarian behind a now-viral written rant that recounts her disappointment in learning via TikTok that Parmesan is not vegetarian. (And we regret to inform you that the rumors are true...for the most part.)
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If you too are surprised, chances are you’re not alone: More than 3.9M people have viewed her TikTok (so far) with more than 351K likes and 3,700+ comments. Here are the facts about Parmesan cheese and the truth about its ingredients for rightfully concerned vegetarians everywhere.
Related: 90 Best TikTok Recipes and Food Trends of 2023
Is Parmesan cheese vegetarian?
No, not usually! However, there are some instances where it can be. More on that below.
Hard facts about Parmesan cheese
First things first: Traditional Parmesan is referred to as Parmigiano-Reggiano, a highly regulated cheese made in Italy under strict guidelines, explains Jeanine Egan, owner of The Cheese School of San Francisco. A hard-aged cheese made from cow’s milk—so far, so good for meat-avoiding vegetarians (but already a no-go for vegans)—it’s made using an ingredient that may be foreign to non-cheesemakers: calf rennet.
What vegetarians should know about calf rennet
Calf rennet, for those furiously Googling, is an enzyme used to coagulate milk and separate the solid curds from liquid whey in the cheesemaking process. One of cheese’s four key ingredients—including milk, salt and starter cultures—rennet is traditionally extracted from the stomach lining of a calf or other milking mammal, Egan explains. Unlike milking, the collection method here is invasive: the animals must be killed to harvest the ingredient.
Parmesan cheese vs. Parmigiano Reggiano
Like it or not, the use of rennet is essential to the production of traditional Parmigiano Reggiano: (Other hard-and-fast rules, as per European Union law: It can only be made in certain provinces of Italy—Parma, Reggio Emilia, Moderna, Bologna and Mantua—and must be made from fresh, unpasteurized whole milk, then aged for a minimum of 12 months, according to The Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium.)
Parmesan cheese is a close cousin of Parmigiano Reggiano that can be made elsewhere without stringent regulations; it may or may not contain calf rennet: “Other cheeses in the larger Parmesan family can be made with vegetarian rennet (also called microbial or plant-based rennet) that is not derived from animals,” Egan points out. So, yes: “Some cheeses called Parmesan are vegetarian, especially those made in America,” she adds.
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How to find out if cheese is vegetarian
It’s not always easy to tell whether meat products are used in any given cheese: After all, even Kraft Parmesan lists “enzymes” on the label without detailing their origins.
“Typically ‘enzymes’ on the ingredient list of a US-made cheese denote a vegetarian rennet,” Egan explains. And sure enough? Kraft Parmesan cheese is indeed made with microbial, vegetarian rennet, she says.
Other clues that a cheese is vegetarian can be found on food labels that clearly indicate the product is animal-free. In the absence of such transparency, you can look for "microbial rennet" on the ingredient list, or stick with Kosher products, which religiously use vegetarian rennet, Egan says.
When it comes to unmarked Parmesan powder like the kind you’d encounter at your local pizza shop, “it is often impossible to know what's in the shaker,” Egan admits. Her best advice for avoiding cheeses made with animal rennet in these situations? BYO.
The same goes for other cheeses: Varieties as common as feta and mozzarella may very well be made with animal rennet. Although vegetarian cheese made with microbial or vegetable-based rennets and vegan cheese derived from plant-based kinds of milk are easier than ever to find on grocery store shelves—particularly in the U.S.—the best way to confirm whether a cheese is vegetarian is to contact its manufacturer directly. (No one said this vegetarian thing would be easy!)
