Foodies shocked to learn Parmesan cheese is not vegetarian friendly as it’s made using animal rennet

Foodies have been left horrified after finding out exactly how Parmesan cheese is made – with many swearing to never eat it again.

In a viral outburst, one woman declared her shock at the discovery the popular cheese contains a substance from a calf’s stomach. 

‘Today years old when I found out Parmesan cheese is made from baby cow’s stomach and I could go cry. I’m just gonna have to go full vegan at this point,’ she said in a tweet. 

The substance known as animal rennet is an essential ingredient in traditional Parmesan, a fact that sent many vegetarians especially into a spin.

Rennet is an enzyme found in the lining of mammal stomachs, typically young cows, sheep or goats, that helps them digest their mother’s milk. 

Vegetarian foodies are sharing their shock at the ‘horrifying’ discovery that Parmesan cheese is made using rennet, a substance found in a baby cow’s stomach 

The animals have to be killed for cheesemakers to extract the substance making anything with the ingredient not suitable for vegetarians. 

‘Wow I had never heard that! Dairy is scary for real,’ someone responded. 

‘Horrifying! Why are we eating baby anything as a species?’ asked a second. 

‘I did not know. This makes me very sad. I like Parmesan but don’t think I can ever eat it again,’ a third admitted. 

One user replied saying, while the fact is common knowledge for many, she often sees dishes with Parmesan offered to vegetarians at restaurants.

‘You’re not alone – I still see ‘eggplant Parmesan’ as a ‘vegetarian’ option at restaurants or as suggested recipes in ‘vegetarian’ articles,’ she wrote. 

‘It’s one of the few cheeses that is still made that way,’ another pointed out while a third said: ‘Most hard cheese is made with rennet’. 

Other cheeses traditionally made with the animal product include Gorgonzola, Pecorino Romano, Camembert, Gruyère, and Manchego. 

However vegetarians need not despair yet as some explained cheese producers have started using animal-friendly rennet. 

‘Rennet doesn’t have to be from animal sources, there are vegetarian variants that work the same. That but it’s true that you’ll have to check for this to be able to say it’s actually vegetarian,’ one person wrote.      

‘Most rennet today uses genetically-engineered yeast and bacteria in its production, rather than calf stomachs. There are obviously still some products that use calf stomachs (as a matter of tradition), but most mass-produced cheese uses GMO rennet,’ another agreed.   

‘This process is outdated and not used anymore because of mass manufacturing (as far as I know)! You are safe to eat your parm!’ a third said.