Parmesan is a straw-coloured hard cheese with a natural yellow rind and parmesan crusted chicken with mayo and panko, fruity flavour. It is made from cow’s milk.

However, the original Italian version remains superior, boasting a ripe yellow interior, granular texture and unbeatable flavour. This is partly due to a longer maturing time of around two years, rather than the minimum 12 months required. Authentic Italian parmesan has ‘Parmigiano Reggiano’ stamped on the rind. Parmesan is one of the typical foods, along with truffles, mushrooms and miso, that evokes umami savouriness on your tastebuds. If serving it on a cheeseboard, take it out of the fridge 1-2 hrs beforehand so that the flavour and aroma have time to develop. Spuce up your greens with Gary Rhode’s parmesan broccoli, make parmesan wafers to serve in a restaurant-style starter or on a quiche. For more recipe inspiration, see our parmesan collection.

Always buy parmesan in a chunk from which you can cut at home as needed. If possible, buy it from a place where you can see the piece being cut from the whole cheese. Genuine Parmigiano Reggiano should have its name stamped on the rind, as well as the year it was made. If it was made for export it will also bear the name of the producer. Avoid any parmesan that looks grey or waxy. Parmesan is sold at various stages of the maturing process.