SafeDoes parmesan contain lactose?
Rarely. This is the one that surprises people most: Parmigiano Reggiano aged beyond twelve months has so little lactose that the consortium itself declares it "naturally lactose free". Long ageing consumes nearly all of it. The same goes for long-aged hard cheeses in general — and not at all for fresh ones, where the lactose is all still there.
Eating out
Aged is the word that matters. A fresh cheese (mozzarella, cream cheese, ricotta, mascarpone) sits at the opposite end.
Recipes change from one producer to the next and from one kitchen to the next: this is how something is usually made, not what is in the plate in front of you. The only answer that holds for your plate is the ingredient list on the packet, or the person who cooked it.
And how did it go at the restaurant?
Knowing what is in a dish is half the answer. The other half is what actually happened to the people who ate it in a specific place — and that is what SafeBelly collects: no stars, just how it went afterwards.
Open the map and see who has been there