Italy wins in „cheese war”?

It sets up a thrilling finale when the full Court of Justice will rule later this year on whether “Parmesan” can be made only by northern Italians or by any cheesemaker in Europe.

An adviser to the European Court of Justice said Thursday
that Germany did not have to prosecute cheese producers who market some hard
cheeses as "Parmesan," even if it does not originate from Italy's
fabled countryside around the city of Parma. The same adviser said that Germany
had failed to prove that Parmesan is a generic term different from the
already-protected "Parmigiano Reggiano" wording.

At stake is gustatory nationalism that goes to the core of
Italy's heart and stomach. On the other hand, it has an immediate effect on the
pocketbooks of dairy giants in countries like Germany and Denmark. While one
side claims protection of a cultural heritage, the other calls it plain
economic protectionism.