Talk:Parmesan

Production

Can we talk about the very specific numbers such as 24 cheeses high and 90 cheeses wide? WTH is going on? If these are established standards it should be mentioned. On the other hand, the whole Production section reads like it was transcribed from documentary subtitles

Naming dispute

Hello everyone. I think we should change the name of the article and other things inside it to avoid giving wrong information to our visitors and I'll explain you why. I think it is indisputable that the cheese mentioned in the article is the one produced in Italy, consequently, the correct name is Parmigiano Reggiano. It should also be remembered that Parmesan and Parmigiano Reggiano, as also stated on a topic in the article's discussion page, are two different things. Parmigiano Reggiano is Parmesan, while Parmesan is not always Parmigiano Reggiano. As someone suggested in this discussion page, there should be two distinct pages. One for Parmesan and one for Parmigiano Reggiano. That said, I will probably edit some of the article accordingly. I absolutely don't want to impose my version of things therefore anyone who does not agree is absolutely free to modify or revert what has been changed but please provide an explanation and discuss it civilly on this page. Thank you for your cooperation. FrancioFr87 (talk) 13:29, 22 February 2025 (UTC)

When I changed the name to Parmigiano Reggiano it wasn't good huh? FrancioFr87 (talk) 22:36, 15 May 2025 (UTC)

@FrancioFr87: I was the one who suggested creating two distinct and separate pages, but my proposal was never taken into consideration; who knows why... JacktheBrown (talk) 20:09, 16 May 2025 (UTC)

See the long, and frankly better, discussion a couple of sections up. Johnbod (talk) 17:28, 17 May 2025 (UTC)

The other thread has been inactive for a year. JacktheBrown (talk) 15:49, 18 May 2025 (UTC)

That's the way. FrancioFr87 (talk) 11:59, 2 June 2025 (UTC)

its crazy that this misnaming is still up on wiki ~2026-90274-0 (talk) 01:57, 10 February 2026 (UTC)

Removal from lede

Hi User:JacktheBrown, I've removed the BBC writer's opinion from the lede as plainly UNDUE. I've also reworded and tagged the King of the Cheeses comment as needing a better source. The main issue is that the King of Cheeses article lists several cheeses that have been given the designation, so saying this one is specifically known as King of Cheeses is an NPOV issue. The mementoitalyinstyle source is outright unreliable for sourcing marketing terms, as it is a travel agency's blog. Rollinginhisgrave (talk | contributions) 05:20, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

It is easy to find good sources for the (admittedly silly) name "king of cheeses" -- a quick Google Books search finds dozens, not just for Parmesan but also for Rocquefort, etc. "When you find a passage in an article that is biased, inaccurate, or unsourced the best practice is to improve it if you can..." (WP:RCD) (this says "rather than delete", but I'd argue that "rather than tag" is equally applicable). How many would be appropriate here? --Macrakis (talk) 05:50, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

The claim that it is a "practically perfect food" is even sillier, but there are plenty of sources for it, too, (e.g. ) although I suspect that many are just echoing the BBC article or this Wikipedia article.... --Macrakis (talk) 06:02, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

Thanks for the sources Macrakis. I was partially leaving it for myself to come back to as I was hoping to find a piece on the phrase "King of Cheeses" as a concept that included Parmesan to verify the "among others" phrase.

The "practically perfect food" phrase is more troublingly silly. It does seem likely that other sources are echoing the BBC (on the first page of Google every result was published within 2 months of the BBC's) but the bigger problem is WP:LEADFOLLOWSBODY. We don't cover what it tastes like (except as umami), and we don't cover the reception/reputation. Rollinginhisgrave (talk | contributions) 06:28, 22 May 2025 (UTC)

Original texture

Regarding this revert

Hey Jack, good to hear from you. You couldn't see this, but Macrakis thanked my edit that you reverted, so at least from that I believe he is supportive. Onto the content:

• Saying Grandi "claimed" is a violation of MOS:CLAIMED
• I don't know why you reverted my clarification that Grandi was talking about the start of the 20th century and not "originally" (15th century). That's what the source says.
• These two sources don't contradict each other. Parmesan can generally, since the 15th century have been hard and dry AND parmesan at the start of the 20th century can have been softer with a black rind. If you look in that source, there are times when parmesan is described as creamy.
• Joining two sources together with the conjuction however, particularly when the second sentence is supported by a source ten years older than the first, is WP:SYNTH. If you don't believe me, drop a note on Wikipedia:No original research/Noticeboard.

Tell me what you think. Also pinging Artoria2e5 who Jack says I should hear from. Rollinginhisgrave (talk | contributions) 19:12, 8 July 2025 (UTC)

@JacktheBrown:, would you like me to bring this to WP:3O so we can get another opinion? Rollinginhisgrave (talk | contributions) 16:25, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rollinginhisgrave: okay, but select a user who's not Italophobic and who has no political ideologies. JacktheBrown (talk) 17:10, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

I'll do it shortly. In the meantime, for the benefit of the third party, can you give your reasons for why you believe the current text more accurately reflects the sources? Rollinginhisgrave (talk | contributions) 17:26, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

@Rollinginhisgrave: first of all, I've read Grandi's books; this sensationalist omits a lot of historical evidence (he's criticised in Italy for this) and adds those that help his side. JacktheBrown (talk) 17:37, 12 July 2025 (UTC)

Could you link some of these criticisms? It would be particularly helpful if they specifically talked about his comments on parmesan. Rollinginhisgrave (talk | contributions) 02:26, 13 July 2025 (UTC)

Historical documents show

"Historical documents show that in the 13th and 14th centuries, Parmigiano Reggiano was already very similar to that produced today, which suggests its origins can be traced to far earlier."

What is the source for this claim? It's unclear to me. Also, why would the similarity between the 13th century and today imply its origins are "far earlier"? How far? Is it the opinion of the editor? ~2025-35102-76 (talk) 17:39, 9 January 2026 (UTC)