That restaurants should know parmesan isn't vegetarian?

Are there genuinely that many people that will care about rennet while eating dairy products that required the calf to be born in the first place? What do they think happens to the calves? I don't know a single genuine vegetarian myself, except for those moving towards plant based.

Lots of people are confused, and that's understandable if they follow an omnivorous diet and don't need to cater for vegetarians or vegans.
Those who prepare food professionally should be expected to understand what it's made of, and give correct information to their paying customers.

So I clicked on the link and looked at the menu and it clearly says on the vegetarian menu that the dishes can be made "vegan by request", so I think you are being extremely unreasonable - the chef has clearly taken into account that some people will not want to eat parmesan.

.https://www.315barandrestaurant.co.uk/vegetarian-menu/

Ha. I have a nightshade allergy too. Feel your pain. Tomatoes are the worst for me but the basis of so many veggie dishes.

I was clarifying because you talked about veggies not eating products made by animals, but they do (milk, eggs).

I don't think some wine is veggie as it contains fish bladder (or something else obscure) so you might want to check that!

No, that's a vegan.

Vegetarians do eat products made by animals, ie eggs, milk etc.

It is my understanding (from having a very strictly vegetarian partner) that in the UK dishes should be marked with a 'V' symbol to show they are properly vegetarian. If they don't have that, they might not be (even if the ingredients appear to be veggie). That's how restaurants get around using things like chicken stock and non-veggie cheese. They will often have a disclaimer somewhere that states they don't have a separate area for cooking too, which means they'll be stirring things with the same spoon or using the same frying oil for meat and vegetarian dishes.

I would assume the cheese in this restaurant is real parmesan and therefore not vegetarian. That veggie symbol on the crab starter is puzzling too, and suggest they don't really care.

Rennet is part of an animal, therefore many vegetarians don't eat it.

I don’t think we’re disagreeing. Are you clarifying? If so, thank you.

As a vegetarian who can’t eat gluten, mushrooms, courgettes, aubergines or peppers I rarely even try to eat in restaurants.

Vegetarians eat dairy and eggs, both made by animals. They don’t eat animal flesh or parts of the animals.

Vegans don’t eat anything that comes from animals. Including honey. They shouldn’t really eat mushrooms or avocados either.

Not all vegetarians are vegetarian due to environmental or animal welfare concerns. I haven’t eaten meat for over 30 years because I just don’t like it. The tidal wave of fake meat and cheeze marketed as vegan that’s flooded
restaurants makes it near impossible to eat out now as a vegetarian.

I had no idea parmesan wasn't vegetarian! I have only been veggie for a couple of months though, what else should I know?! Slightly embarassed now!

Parmigiano Reggiano (which is protected as a PDO) is not vegetarian as its recipe specifically uses animal rennet. Its PDO is enforceable worldwide. Parmesan is also a PDO - but only within the EU, and therefore can be vegetarian depending on whether the producer used rennet or not.

Hopefully the chef has checked the

type of rennet in the Parmesan prior to using it in the dish 🧀

can you just ask if they are using a vegetarian equivalent before getting riled up about it?

No. A vegetarian is someone who doesn’t eat products made by animals, as @SirAlfredSpatchcock says above. Not just animals, but birds, fish, insects - anything that has a face, as my vegetarian friend puts it.

Someone who doesn’t eat productions made by animals but does eat products made by fish is a pescatarian.

Proper DOP Parmesan probably does use calf rennet, but most cheeses don't nowadays, and are vegetarian. Obviously veggie dishes should be using an 'Italian hard cheese' not Parmesan.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rennet

Although technically the animals must be killed in the dairy industry too as in nearly all cases it would not be profitable to keep churning out male calves and not kill them, or not to kill the cows after 5 years or so when their milk production drops.

Just contact them and ask, and explain you want truly veggie food.

We don’t know whether they are using faux Parmesan.

Are you trying to name and shame, or what?

It's local to me and I know a few people who've gone and said it's very average and overpriced 😂

Of course you’re not unreasonable to expect a restaurant to get this right and to contact them before eating there to clarify. I don’t know how anyone can think you’re unreasonable.

I’d be worried about their knowledge of food which could have terrible consequences for people with allergies.

I probably wouldn’t eat there as I wouldn’t trust them.

Lots of cheese is not vegetarian as it contains animal rennet.

Parmesan is pretty well known as not being veggie.

Although you can get done made with microbial rennet which is veggie.

This one isn’t actually called Parmesan though. You can read the label in the photo.

Parmesan was a protected term that could only be used for Parmigiana Reggiano.

Since Brexit it appears we’re allowed to call any Parmesan-like cheese Parmesan.

So it’s possible that dishes that contain the rennet-free hard cheese can now be described as containing Parmesan. Which is of absolutely no help whatsoever to vegetarians.

I'm not vegan or vegetarian but isn't this particularly picky? Yes you have to kill the animal to get the rennet, but my understanding of dairy farming is that the calves are a by-product that go to slaughter anyway, so by consuming dairy you still kill the animal. So either be ok with that and enjoy your parmesan or don't eat cheese at all.

It will be pecorino which unless you’re a seriously proper foodie tastes exactly the same as Parmesan.

The demand for fish and seafood is actually a big factor in climate change as well. Which seems a little bit at odds with motivation for being a vegetarian?

I have a friend who is veggie because she dislikes all meat and says it’s hard eating out as a vegetarian because all dishes are now vegan friendly and she likes all cheese including Parmesan

Parmesan regiano isn't but you can get vegetarian parmesan https://www.waitrose.com/ecom/products/waitrose-italian-vegetarian-parmesan-cheese-strength-4/856878-688834-688835

and more commonly I think vegetarian Pecorino made with veg rennet.

A vegetarian doesn't eat meat products, honey is not a meat product