Social media goes wild as people learn Parmesan cheese isn’t vegetarian | Daily Mail Online

Social media users are bewildered to learn that traditionally, Parmesan isn’t vegetarian – and uses the organ of a baby cow in production.People are admitting that they were ‘today years old’ when they learned about the inclusion of ‘rennet’ – which is made by enzymes in the lining of calves’ stomachs – in the iconic cheese.According to animal welfare group PETA, many brands, particularly in the US will now use vegetable rennet instead, but the discovery was still shocking to Twitter users.The method of preparing Parmesan – or Parmigiano Reggiano –  is beloved in its origin country of Italy, and traditionally uses just three ingredients; milk, salt and rennet, cooking site Kitchn says.The method of preparing Parmesan – or Parmigiano Reggiano – is beloved in its origin country of Italy, and traditionally uses just three ingredients; milk, salt and rennet (stock image)It also says that Parmigiano Reggiano is a Protected Domination of Origin (PDO) cheese, meaning that it can’t carry the name without following strict procedure and testing.Culture Cheese Magazine explains that animal rennet is made when a calf (or another young creature) is killed and its stomach is dried, so it becomes solid.Depending on the scale of production and where you are in the world, the next steps usually involve the dried organ being cut into pieces and preserved.Then, when it’s time for the ingredient to be used, the rennet is rehydrated in some water. This water is then added into milk.While, according to animal welfare group PETA , many brands, particularly in the US will use vegetable rennet instead, the discovery was still shocking for its origins (stock image)People are admitting that they were ‘today years old’ when they learned about the inclusion of ‘rennet’ – which is made by enzymes in the lining of calves’ stomachs – in the iconic cheeseHorrified Twitter users were horrified to learn about the origins of the ingredient.’Today years old when I found out Parmesan cheese is made from baby cow’s stomach & I could go cry,’ one animal lover wrote. ‘I’m just gonna have to full vegan at this point.”PARMESAN CHEESE IS NOT VEGETARIAN??!?!!!???!??? WTF,’ another exclaimed.   ‘I just can’t,’ a third horrified user penned, ‘I’m done.’Social media users are bewildered to learn that traditionally, Parmesan isn’t vegetarian – and uses the organ of a baby cow in production’Dairy is scary,’ a fourth admitted.However, others also pointed out that calf stomach is not as commonly used anymore. ‘Most cheese is now made with chymosin from bacterial sources, rather than animal rennet,’ one poster chipped in.Another added: ‘They use Genetically modified Bacteria to create the enzymes now.’READ MORE: Share or comment on this article: Social media goes wild as people learn Parmesan cheese isn’t vegetarian The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. Add your comment By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.