That restaurants should know parmesan isn't vegetarian?

[SpikyCoconut]

My Mum has booked this restaurant and asked if I want to come along.

Surely the chef should know this?

https://www.315barandrestaurant.co.uk/

Wibu to get in touch with them and ask if it is actually a parmesan substitute (in which case it should be labelled correctly!) Or if they can develop a different dish that actually IS vegetarian? There are two dishes with parmesan on the vegetarian menu.

Oh my god I have this issue ALL the time in restaurants, including Michelin starred ones etc. drives me bonkers. Don’t understand how professional chefs don’t get this.

I’m extremely allergic to vegetarian cheese. It won’t kill me but it does upset my stomach to spectacular effect. Very few restaurants know which of their cheeses are vegetarian and which not. I simply don’t eat cheese when I’m out.

Because as I said I gave up eating meat because I dislike the taste and the texture of it. Nothing to do with animal rights. I can’t eat tomatoes and the other veggie options tend to be dairy based. And I love cheese and cream and eggs. So I eat those.

it’s just awful that so many veggie options are highly processed meat imitations because I can’t eat those either. If the options are things that taste like meat, I’m better off eating the meat.

Does the wine on the menu contain fish extracts too ?

You wouldn't be bothered by animal derived additives in things like cheeses or wine then would you? My argument is that, out of people I know, those who would be bothered by non vegetarian cheese would be happy to choose a vegan option.

Many vegetarians choose to eat cheese, including parmesan and to drink milk. . Some will eat only cheese that isn't produced using rennet. Some eat eggs, some dont. So I think its fair to say that dishes containing cheese are suitable for consumption by vegetarians. They are definitely not appropriate for vegans.
On a similar issue..when eating at grill restaurant a customer let the staff know they were vegan. The chef came out to see how he could accommodate their needs. He made several suggestions...most were ruled out because the customer didn't like a large number of vegetables including tomatoes, courgettes, cauliflower ,mushrooms, broccoli, carrots or onions and was actually looking for soya "beef" burgers with chips.They made the most awful scene when he said he didn't have them. What was he to do ?

@SpikyCoconut I believe Parmegiano Reggiano must use animal rennet and comes only from specific places but if it is called anything else, e.g. ‘Parmesan’ only, there is scope to use vegetarian rennet instead. It is only relatively recently that cheeses like cheddar changed to non-animal rennet; I remember years ago having to read all the packets in great detail.

Anyway, here is an example. I would just call the restaurant well ahead of time.

https://www.thefoodmarket.com/products/gran-kinara-vegetarian-parmesan-style-cheese-2x-400g

Pizza hut cheese became vegetarian in 1987/88, yet they advertised vegetarian pizzas for donkeys and I as a veggie used to eat them too! How do I know? I worked there. I complained to the manager and he ignorantly threw at me that you'd eat a burger if you were hungry.

We're decades later now, so, I would ask but there might not be a substitute the chef is happy with.

If you can go without or take your own.

Totally agree with you , a local , well thought of restaurant / hotel put their fathers day menu up , a roast , a gammon , a fish fish and a mushroom risotto complete with Parmesan cheese . I left a message on their Facebook page asking if the risotto was the vegetarian option and telling them it's not because of the cheese.

Why don't you call the restaurant and ask if they have a substitute. Or just go elsewhere.

Easy.

So many wholesalers sell vegetarian Parmesan….thats called vegetarian Parmesan

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

@FunZebra I know about vegans not eating animal products, but what is the issue with mushrooms or avocados?

I've posted before about menus always offering goat's cheese and beetroot, goat's cheese and caramelised onions, and risotto. This one doesn't disappoint.

There's also a sweet potato burger with chips or a pasta bake style dish.

The only thing that's missing is the butternut squash or we'd have bingo

Starters / Main Courses
All Dishes can be served as a Starter or Main Course Portion - £8.95 Starter / £18.50 Main Course
Smoked Goats Cheese Cornetto
Rocket, Beetroot & Hazelnut Salad
Feuile de Brick Parcel
Filled with Goats Cheese & Caramelised Onion with Mediterranean Vegetables & Pesto Dressing (Vegan Upon Request)
Grilled Sweet Potato Burger
Topped with a choice of Mozzarella or Blue Cheese, Hand Cut Chips and Onion Rings
£18.50
Penne Pasta
With Pesto, Pea Shoots, Spinach, Sun-dried Tomato, Parmesan (Vegan Upon Request)
Roasted Root Vegetable Risotto
with Water Cress & Parmesan Shavings (Vegan Upon Request)

@SilverBirch99 while you cannot get veggie Parmigiano Reggiano, if it is called anything else than exactly that, eg Parmesan, it is possible to get veggie versions using veg rennet. Even Italian made ones (it is becoming easier to get hold of than used to be the case). Obviously doesn’t guarantee the restaurant has a clue though!

https://www.thefoodmarket.com/products/gran-kinara-vegetarian-parmesan-style-cheese-2x-400g

The only reason I’m generally not happy with the vegan option is because it tends to be fake versions of the meat dishes.

chk’n fajitas with sheeze and vegan sour cream, quorn lasagne with sheeze, beyond meat burgers.

if the vegan option was decent, I would choose that every time. A lot of the time I have been known to stick to a couple of starters instead.

Even some sweets aren't suitable for vegetarians - haribo and turkish delight for instance contain beef gelatine.

YANBU. Drives me crazy! I've known for decades that parmesan is never vegetarian, nor is Lea and Perrins or most pesto.

Sacla Organic pesto is vegetarian and has actual cheese in it. That's my top tip.

Someone that cooks for a living should really know this stuff.

If only vegetarian marshmallows weren't so hard to get. 😭

Many puddings aren't vegetarian. Mousse often contains beef or pork gelatine.
Some jellies are ok. Check the label.

There is such a thing as plant based rennet. Animal based rennet is really expensive. Plant based rennet is made from thistle, artichokes, and nettles. In the US only about 5% - 7% of cheeses are made using animal rennet. Most of those have to be aged longer than 6 months. Soft cheeses don't need it.

An interesting thread, but does make me realise that my best friend who has been vegetarian (no meat or fish) for as long as I've known her (30+ years) does frequently have parmesan or pesto when we are out. I've never heard her ask if it is vegetarian or not, so I think being a vegetarian to her must just be about eating the flesh. I can't imagine she's the only one.

Is there any difference taste wise in the vegetarian parmesan? If not it sounds like a no-brainer to use the inclusive alternative. It's certainly worth asking the venue!

I honestly didn’t know that Parmesan wasn’t vegetarian and various other cheeses either. Feel so ignorant now!

The chef should indeed know!

Wonder if they cater for people with allergies, I wouldn’t trust them!

Most cheese in the US (and UK) is made using chymosin, the main protease enzyme found in rennet. It's made by a fermentation process.

Sorry, this is a bit of a rant!

As a (ex) chef, this is something that really pisses me off and has done for years. I had 2 good friends at school who were veggie and they really struggled eating out.

Now I'm veggie myself and my Dp is vegan and even though things are changing it's not much better in a lot of places.

Dp had to go away for a work training course last year and the hotel he stayed in offered a 'vegan pizza'. You know what it was? A courgette cut in half lengthways with some tomato sauce on it 😡

It truly annoys me that some chefs make so little effort to be inclusive. It's not just about vegans/veggies either, eggs and dairy are some of the most common allergens.

It's really not that hard!! Surely as someone who enjoys cooking and has a passion for food, you would WANT the opportunity to be creative and put something actually tasty and appealing on your menu?!

Dp and I recently went on holiday to a decent sized town with several lovely pubs serving food - there wasn't a single one that had ANY vegan options apart from chips and only one veggie option. Even that was boring and lazy.

Do better chefs!

Many caterers get their supplies from Brakes and their Parmesan is not veggie.