Vegan Parmesan (the real stuff is not even vegetarian)
Many people are unaware that conventional Parmesan cheese is not even vegetarian (by law, it contains a cheese made with calf rennet). Restaurants and hotels that serve such dishes as the ‘vegetarian option’ need to change their menus.
Other non-vegetarian cheeses are Emmental and Gorgonzola.
This recipe for Vegan Parmesan (Jessica in the Kitchen) is tasty and nutritious, with a cheesy taste from nutritional yeast. Made with ground cashews, it’s flavoured with sea salt, and garlic/onion powders. Store in the fridge for up to 2 months (in an airtight container).
Keep this cheese away from children and pets, due to nuts and salt. Read more on food safety for people & pets.
This recipe by Madeleine Olivia only needs four ingredients: European almonds, cheesy-tasting nutritional yeast, sea salt and garlic powder.
Buy Plant-Based Parmesan Alternatives
You can buy plant-based Parmesan from Oh, Grate! and Tyne Chease (good, but both are expensive).
Make or Buy Parmesan-Free Pesto
Pesto (unless you make it yourself) is also usually containing Parmesan. This recipe for vegan pesto (The Veg Space) only needs a few ingredients including lemon, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and fresh basil.
Just bin citrus and garlic scraps as acids could harm compost creatures.
If you prefer to buy, look for vegan brands like Mr Organic and Sacla.
Why Are People Giving Up Dairy?
The dairy industry is huge. No-one denies that a small organic dairy farmer treats his cows well. But the big dairy industry (from where most dairy milk is produced – especially for all the by-products used in ready-meals etc) has huge welfare concerns.
It’s still the case in the UK that most male calves (of no financial use to the dairy industry, which is separate from the beef industry) are shot dead soon after birth.
Many cows spend their entire lives in factory farms, being inseminated and giving birth, then having their calves ripped from them soon after birth. Cows and calves have incredibly strong relationships, and will cry out loudly for weeks, if separated.
Some organisations are helping dairy farmers to transfarm over to growing more profitable oats, giving seeds and training. Remaining animals are then left to live out their lives in peace, akin to farm sanctuaries.
Restaurants Serving ‘Vegetarian’ Parmesan
For both ethics and food allergies, it’s important to avoid serving Parmesan as a vegetarian dish, as it contains calf rennet, so is not suitable for anyone who avoids meat.
Many restaurants and hotels wrongly serve it, and some ‘vegetarian cookbooks’ have even had to be pulped, when discovering that the recipes weren’t vegetarian at all, due to containing the ingredient.
Many vegetarians say they tire of seeing the ‘vegetarian option’ in pubs as something like aubergine lasagne with parmesan, thinking that as chefs, they should know their ingredients.
The cheese is from the stomach lining of cows, and the reason vegetarians are so, is because they don’t eat cows. It’s pretty simple.
This is similar to the times when pubs and restaurants and even breakfast bars serve ‘vegan foods’ but cook them on the same grill as the meat (something that both KFC and Burger King do for its vegan items).
