this post was submitted on 31 Jul 2024
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America: I'm sponsored by soulless corporate conglomerates.
Italy: I'm sponsored by cheese!
America: tears up and salutes Italy
I mean, those cheeses are also big global conglomerates and they take it a step further by gatekeeping the name of their cheeses.
Why is this worse than standard conglomerate practices? It's effectively a brand name, no?
Less a brand name because multiple companies can make parmigiano reggiano, but it's a combination of requirements designed to protect local industry - for example, for it to be parmigiano reggiano cheese it has to be made with one of two lists of three ingredients, the milk has to come from cows from a specific region of Italy, a certain percentage of the feed for those cows must come from a specific region of Italy, is aged for a certain minimum time, etc, etc. It's an entire set of industries protected by a legal definition of a cheese.
When you see "parmesan" instead of "parmigiano reggiano" it's a similar sort of cheese that isn't made within the legally protected definition. Most often it's just not made in the one specific part of Italy with milk from cows from that part of Italy fed by feed from that part of Italy, it's made somewhere else using dairy that doesn't have to be imported. Or it's aged "enough" for the flavors to develop but not the full time required. Or both.
There are a whole array of product designations in the EU that basically exist to protect individual agricultural industries from competition by requiring that products be made in a certain place, or using products from a certain place in order to prevent outsiders from duplicating the product, increasing supply and driving down prices.
Basically the same logic as "if it's not from the Champagne wine region in France it's just sparkling white wine." Also the same reason why "real" balsamic vinegar costs a fucking fortune.
Sort of the old medieval guild system to prevent competition and keep prices high.
Not really. It doesn't really prevent competition. You're welcome to make your own cheese (or whatever) that competes with the protected variant. You're just not allowed to call it the same thing.
It's more like a measure to prevent shitty corporate cost cutting and skimpflation strategies from ruining a thing into oblivion and ensuring that you can rely on a certain level of quality that is associated with the traditional product.
The system might have it's downsides, but I'm definitely on board with the intent.
Wisconsin salutes with both hands
How is Wisconsin holding the cheese?
They happen to also be known for their sausages.
Well roughly 60% might.