Everyone has fumed at European Union (EU) myths such as the "laws" on straight bananas and straight rhubarb and the fact that brandy butter must be now called brandy spreadable fat. But these were EU directives that never happened, except in the creative minds of tabloid newspaper editors.
However - and this is not a myth - the EUhas ruled that no one should use the word Parmesan to describe seasoned Italian cheese. It's illegal.
This was decided two years ago. It followed an exchange of correspondence between Italian MEP Cristiana Muscardini and EU Commissioner for Agriculture Franz Fischler in June 2000.
The problem with the word Parmesan is that from its origin describing a hard and seasoned cheese from the Parma region of northern Italy it grew into a cash cow for cheese dairies around the world. In the past 10 years Parmesan clones have been produced in Germany, Holland, France and, lately, the South-west of England. For Italian cheesemakers this was a call to arms. They invoked an EU spell called the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO).
A PDO is an EU law that says any food or drink historically associated with a region can only bear the name if it is produced from the region where it originated. It was following the complaint by Muscardini that the EU decided to ban the word Parmesan.
The cheeses that formerly were grouped under the p-word heading are now sold only by their true Italian regional name, for example Pecorino Sardo, Grana Padano and the most popular hard Italian cheese of all, Parmigiano Reggiano.
The best-known example of PDO protection is the ruling that any fizz called Champagne sold in the EU can come only from the Champagne region of northern France. The best-known "PDO gap" is Cheddar cheese, which as well as being made in Somerset can also come from anywhere in the world - from Canada to China.
In fact, cheese is a good example of producer protectionism. France has 41 cheese names protected by PDOs, Italy has 30, while the UK has 11. The UK's protected cheese names include the Scottish cheese Bonchester, Dorset Blue, and the most famous of all, Stilton, which under PDO laws can only be produced in Leicestershire, Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire.
If we feel miffed that we have so few traditional British cheeses protected from global prostitution, spare a sympathetic thought for Ireland. It has only one PDO-protected cheese: the very un-Irish sounding Imokilly Regato, from Cork.
For anyone thinking that you can still buy "Parmesan" cheese, check out the listings in any wholesale catalogue or the labelling in the supermarkets: the evidence will be in front of you.
The chefs at Caterer‘s Taste & Tell of seasoned Italian cheeses - the new way to describe what used to be called the Parmesan family - listened in half-belief as Lewis Teal, foreign buyer for Italian food brokers T&L (a division of Brake Bros) and the tutor for this session on Italian cheese, explained the new EU regulations.
Fortunately, while the legislation is difficult to comprehend, the diversity of flavour and texture of seasoned Italian cheeses is not. This is the result of a tasting of 10 of the better-known of them.
Casera Valtellina
A medium-hard cows' milk cheese with a waxy texture, typically aged eight to nine months.
Positive comments: nice smooth and light colour; smells fresh; very mild, and you could eat it on its own, no bread or biscuits; it is a bit similar to Gruyère, a bit rubbery in texture; light milky taste.
Negative comments: not for me, too mild for the cheeseboard; I get a slight acid back-taste which stays too long; might pass as a Cheddar rather than a traditional Italian cheese.
Montasio Cows' milk cheese produced close to the Swiss border, which has some of the taste characteristics of Emmental due to similar pasture. Aged six to eight months.
Positive comments: similar in taste to the Casera, but slightly more acidic and rubbery; very light in flavour, you can definitely spot the closeness to Emmental; a slight sharpness to the flavour, but very pleasant; good depth to the flavour and a long aftertaste.
Negative comments: bit of a sour smell; you can smell the acidity.
Asiago Another cheese produced close to the Swiss border and sharing taste similarities with Emmental. Matured for three months.
Positive comments: has an almost peppery taste to it; nice long aftertaste; lots of flavour for a young cheese; would make a good substitute for grated mozzarella.
Negative comments: has a slight bitterness to the flavour.
Provolone Dolce Despite its name, this is not a sweet cheese - the word dolce indicates it is matured for just six to eight months. Produced mainly in southern Italy.
Positive comments: very smooth cheese, not strong at all; you can definitely tell it is a young cheese.
Negative comments: smells of sour milk, not much flavour - almost nondescript; taste disappears fairly quickly; just tastes of salt.
Provolone Stagionato This is the more mature version of Provolone - it's kept for between eight to 12 months before being released.
Positive comments: strong smell and a light to strong flavour; a slightly crumbly and granular texture which is unusual for cheeses of this type; definite "body" to the flavour.
Negative comments: the aftertaste is a little unpleasant; pronounced saltiness; slightly sour-smelling.
Pecorino Sardo A ewes' milk cheese with a name derived from the Italian word for ewe, "pecora". As the name suggests, this one comes from Sardinia.
Positive comments: hard enough to be shaved for serving on a salad; definite flavour of ewes' milk; quite a mild, milky smell with a strong acidic taste; would be happy to serve this on my cheeseboard; flavour is long-lasting; mellow and quite different from the others.
Negative comments: slight bitterness and a bit too acidic.
Grana Padano One of the best-known Italian hard cheeses, usually matured for 15 to 18 months, but can be offered younger while still too wet. A cheese where quality control can be a problem.
Positive comments: this is the real thing - what I expect from a seasoned Italian cheese; it's rich, but not too strong; good body, rounded flavour and would work well as a grated cheese or on its own; fresh and milky flavour with no sourness; sweet-tasting and a low acidity; long aftertaste.
Negative comments: none.
Parmigiano Reggiano The other big name in seasoned Italian hard cheese, made from cows' milk and typically matured for 20 to 24 months.
Positive comments: fantastic cheese, pure and clear flavours; gritty and granular, which is what I expect from a Reggiano; fresh and lactic flavour with just a hint of acid; would like to use this in a wild mushroom and truffle risotto.
Negative comments: none.
Parmigiano Stravecchio A very mature version of Parmigiano, typically held for 30 months before release.
Positive comments: very crumbly, clean and almost meaty flavour; slight hint of sweetness comes through in the maturation; try this with a glass of red wine and it goes to an even higher level; despite its age it is still a very smooth cheese, perfectly balanced; there is so much you could do with this cheese - fantastic.
Negative comments: none.
Pecorino Romano This version of the ewes' milk cheese comes from the region around Rome.
Positive comments: none.
Negative comments: tastes cheap, with an odd aftertaste; sour and none-too-pleasant flavour; there is a bitter aftertaste which hangs in the mouth.
Jon Vennell, head chef at Haley's hotel in Leeds, West Yorkshire
Shane Goodway, chef de cuisine at the Box Tree restaurant, Ilkley, West Yorkshire
Bruce Elsworth, head chef, the Angel at Hetton, North Yorkshire
Tasting tutor: Lewis Teal, foreign buyer for T&L - A Taste of Italy, a division of Brake Bros specialising in Italian food and drink. Tel: 0113-245 9133
Host: Haley's hotel, Headingley, Leeds