To contact a restaurant to suggest that their dish containing aged parmesan should not be listed as vegetarian?

[FairyFestival]

A friend has booked a restaurant and I was looking at the menu online. One of the dishes is labelled as vegetarian but contains ‘aged parmesan’. My understanding is you cannot call it parmesan unless it actually is / protected status sort of thing ie not vegetarian due to animal rennet.

Should I contact the restaurant to ascertain if it is parmesan therefore not vegetarian or not real parmesan therefore they are lying hounds?

I assume vegetarian to just exclude meat and fish and gelatine but diary and eggs might be used.

I’d be looking for ‘vegan’ if I wanted zero animal products.

I’be been a vegetarian for 25 years and happily eat Parmesan. I imagine most vegetarians who would be really bothered are more likely to be vegan.

@Merryoldgoat it has rennet in it. Rennet is from stomach. Same like for example jelly is from bones.

I would ask them. Parmesan can be optional

Some cheese is vegetarian and some isn’t Merry. Parmesan isn’t, because it has small quantities of dead animal in it.

I think it would be reasonable to query it on the basis that parmesan is never vegetarian, so there seems to be a printing error in the menu - could they clarify what the dish actually is?

I wouldn't go with the lying hounds angle!

I always assumed vegetarians eat cheese. I believe most do.

Maybe it’s the vegetarian Parmesan (forget what it’s called) but easier to call it Parmesan on the menu? A restaurant should defo know that it’s not vegetarian.

Most vegetarians do eat most cheese but some cheese has rennet, which is made from sheep stomach in it.
Why is this so hard for so many MNers to grasp?!

Proper parmesan contains cow stomach, there was a whole thread about it recently.

If a restaurant doesn’t get that it doesn’t bode well for other dishes.

Could it be like the parmesan you buy in the supermarket that tastes exactly like parmesan but has a different name under technicalities e.g. parmigano ?

I'm not sure what their vegetarian status is.

Malyshek vegetarians eat vegetarian cheese. Not cheese (like real Parmesan) that is made with animal rennet.

I think it would be reasonable to politely contact the restaurant and point this out maybe suggest this great vegetarian alternative www.naturalgrocery.co.uk/Fresh/fresh-dairy/twineham-grange-full-flavoured-hard-cheese

OP you're quite right. Italian restaurants in particular seem oblivious to this.

I tell them every time. I don't think they care because there are so manny who call themselves vegetarian but eat non-vegetarian things.

I always assumed vegetarians eat cheese. I believe most do.

Yes. But not all cheese is vegetarian.

It’s like saying vegetarians eat pies.

Hmmmmm. I wonder if FIL knows that... thanks for clarifying.

Not a veggie myself obviously but several of DH’s family and they all eat cheese inc Parmesan.

Maybe it’s the vegetarian Parmesan (forget what it’s called) but easier to call it Parmesan on the menu? A restaurant should defo know that it’s not vegetarian.

I think it’s called Sainsbury's value Italian hard cheese.

I would assume it's veggie with the Parmesan taken out and that you need to ask for that?

A lot of people missing the point here. Vegetarians absolutely eat cheese. But parmesan isn't vegetarian. It contains dead animal.

It's like saying "oh I thought vegetarians ate pies?" They do. But not meat pies.

Thousands, if not millions of vegetarians being poisoned daily by omnies who think vegetarians only avoid meat and fish.

Thanks for the useful description of ‘vegan’.

YANBU but you're going to get loads of responses missing the point and informing you that vegetarians eat cheese .

Thousands, if not millions of vegetarians being poisoned daily by omnies who think vegetarians only avoid meat and fish.

This seems a little overly dramatic.

A vegetarian who accidentally eats meat has not been poisoned!

I would assume it's veggie with the Parmesan taken out and that you need to ask for that?

I’ll assume the steak and chips is vegetarian- could you just take the steak out.

This seems a little overly dramatic.

Forgot to add light hearted.