An Italian hard cheese made from cow's milk that is aged for a long time and is often grated over dishes such as pasta.
example
Für die Spaghetti Carbonara reibe ich immer frischen Parmesan.
For spaghetti carbonara, I always grate fresh Parmesan.
Usage tips
Typical collocations
Parmesan is often combined with the adjectives 'frisch' (fresh) or 'gerieben' (grated). Typical verbs are 'reiben' (to grate), 'hobeln' (to shave), or '(drüber)streuen' (to sprinkle over).
EXAMPLE
Zum Schluss noch etwas frisch geriebenen Parmesan über die Pasta streuen.
Finally, sprinkle a little freshly grated Parmesan over the pasta.
Use without an article
When Parmesan is meant as an ingredient or an indefinite amount, it is often used without an article, similar to salt or sugar.
EXAMPLE
Fehlt dir für das Rezept noch Parmesan?
Do you still need Parmesan for the recipe?
Culinary context
The word is used almost exclusively in a culinary context, especially in connection with Italian dishes such as pasta, risotto, or on carpaccio.
EXAMPLE
Ein gutes Pesto Genovese braucht hochwertigen Parmesan.
A good pesto Genovese needs high-quality Parmesan.