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Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese is a hard, aged cheese commonly grated over pasta, soups, and savory dishes.

Parmesan cheese — illustrative ingredient image

About Parmesan cheese

Parmesan cheese is a generic English-language name for a firm, aged cow’s-milk cheese. It is commonly pale yellow, dry, and crumbly, with a savoury, nutty flavour that becomes more concentrated as the cheese ages. Products sold under this name can differ in origin, recipe, moisture, maturation, and texture.

It is grated or shaved over pasta, risotto, soups, salads, vegetables, and other savoury dishes. It is also used in fillings, baked toppings, gratins, sauces, and doughs. A drier, more mature cheese grates into distinct particles and may show crunchy crystals, while a moister product tends to be softer and easier to slice.

The cheese may be sold as a wheel portion or wedge, flakes, shreds, or powder. Breaking, grating, shaving, and shredding change its particle size and handling. Baking melts and browns the surface, while stirring it into a hot sauce or filling distributes its savoury flavour throughout the dish. Powdered forms disperse quickly but do not behave like a fresh wedge.

Ingredient type
compound ingredient

Forms & related ingredients

  • Cow Milkcontains · Parmesan cheese → Cow Milk
  • Saltcontains · Parmesan cheese → Salt

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Where will you meet it?

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ON A MENU OR LABEL

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Where parmesan cheese appears

20 linked foods

Find foods to recognise by country and type. Recipes and products vary; these are recorded ingredient connections.

Showing 1–12 of 20

Main dishes

Snacks

Soups

Ingredient connections awaiting review · Coverage is still growing, including packaged snacks.

Name examples awaiting language review. Confirm the specific food or product.

Local names for parmesan cheese

Names and romanised forms to recognise on menus and labels.

English

Parmesan

English

Cheese, parmesan, dried, finely grated

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, Parmesan, dry grated, fat free

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, Parmesan, dry grated, reduced fat

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, Parmesan, fresh

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, parmesan, fresh, regular fat

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, parmesan, grated, refrigerated

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, parmesan, hard

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, parmesan, low sodium

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Cheese, parmesan, shredded

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

parmesan cheese (block)

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

parmesan cheese (grated)

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

parmesan cheese (uncured)

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

English

Parmesan cheese topping, fat free

Search alias · Not a confirmed translation

Available names only. Languages may be spoken in other countries; a name alone does not identify every ingredient in a dish.

Parmesan cheese nutrition & diet

Parmesan cheese nutritional value

Cheese, parmesan, hard

Per 100 g of the edible portion in the recorded food form.

Calories
392kcal
Protein
35.8g
Carbs
3.2g
Fat
25.0g

Reference values for the specific food form shown. Other varieties, brands and preparations can differ.

Portions & preparation

Parmesan is commonly grated, shaved, or served in pieces, and the edible portion should match that form. Generic Parmesan can differ in aging, milk source, salt treatment, and added ingredients. Separate the cheese from pasta, breadcrumbs, sauces, or oils when assessing the ingredient itself.

Compare the right form: Use a reference for the labeled Parmesan product in its grated, shaved, wedge, or powdered form, including the stated milk and additives.

Diet considerations

Parmesan is an animal-derived dairy cheese, but the generic name covers varied products. Compatibility changes with milk source, processing aids, added enzymes, coatings, and accompanying cereal ingredients or animal products. Powdered or shelf-stable blends may contain additional carriers, so the package formulation and complete recipe require review.

AI-authored reading notes · Awaiting editorial review. Measured values, where available, have a separate source above.

Dietary compatibility

  • Vegan
    Typically incompatible
  • Vegetarian
    Depends on the version
  • Pescatarian
    Depends on the version
  • Keto
    Depends on the version
  • Paleo
    Typically incompatible
  • Low-carb
    Depends on the version
  • Halal
    Not established
  • Kosher
    Not established
What these diet assessments mean
Vegan · Typically incompatible
The ingredient profile identifies an animal-derived food or derivative.
Vegetarian · Depends on the version
Check the coagulant or rennet source: animal rennet and vegetarian alternatives are both relevant to this category.
Pescatarian · Depends on the version
Check the coagulant or rennet source: animal rennet and vegetarian alternatives are both relevant to this category.
Keto · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Paleo · Typically incompatible
This profile falls outside the conventional paleo pattern used here (grains and pseudograins, legumes, dairy or refined sugar).
Low-carb · Depends on the version
Compatibility depends on the portion and preparation. A sourced carbohydrate amount for a defined serving is not available.
Halal · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish halal status.
Kosher · Not established
Sourcing, processing and any applicable certification have not been verified. A food name alone does not establish kosher status.

For the plain ingredient · Awaiting review. Diet compatibility is not allergy suitability or halal/kosher certification. Keto and low-carb depend on the portion.

Reviewed ingredient entryIngredient reference · Preparations vary

AI-generated illustration for visual context. It does not identify a particular product or establish allergen content.

Sources & review

Nutrition reference: USDA FoodData Central — Cheese, parmesan, hard ↗. Values are scaled from 100 g of the recorded edible form. Individual portions have no assumed fixed weight.

Expanded overview, name examples and nutrition notes are database drafts awaiting editorial review. Numeric nutrition values, where shown, have their own source and food-form reference.

The ingredient description and dish connections come from the draft catalogue and may change after review.

Last recorded verification: .