Aussies left outraged by the parmi’s ‘ugly British cousin’ : ‘What the hell is a parmo?’
- Aussies are up in arms over British version of a chicken parmigiana
- A British restaurant labelled a version of the dish a ‘parmo’
A British restaurant has been slammed by Australian diners after labelling their chicken parmigiana a ‘parmo’ – before enraging them further with a strange twist on the dish.
The menu offers different versions of the humble chicken parmigiana – better known Down Under as a ‘parmi’ or ‘parma’.
A conversation over the correct abbreviation sparked shortly after an image of the menu surfaced on Reddit – and at first Aussies were furious.
But as it turns out ‘parmo’ is in fact short for Teesside Parmesan – a classic northern English dish that differs to the Aussie chicken parmigiana as it’s topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese.
Australians are outraged after a British restaurant labelled a chicken parmigiana a ‘parmo’. But the meal is a ‘classic northern English dish’ that differs to the Australian version (menu pictured)
A number of angered Australians were quick to share their thoughts on the matter.
‘I don’t even know why it’s an argument to begin with, it’s full name is ‘parmigiana’ ergo, ‘parmi’. There is no other name for it,’ one wrote.
‘WTF is a parmo? Incandescently angry now,’ another added, a third joked: ‘No wonder the empire is crumbling.’
One person took it a step further and said: ‘Republic NOW.’
Despite the uproar, others offered a simple explanation – and as it turns out the Australian and British dishes aren’t entirely linked.
An Australian chicken parmigiana is topped with tomato sauce and cheese (pictured, stock image). But a British Teesside Parmesan is topped with white béchamel sauce and cheese
One said a ‘parmo’, or Teesside Parmesan, is a dish originating in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire and is a popular take-away food in the Teesside area.
‘It consists of a breaded cutlet of chicken or pork topped with a white béchamel sauce and cheese, usually cheddar cheese,’ the person wrote.
This is in contrast to the chicken parmigiana that’s made with a panko breadcrumb coating and topped with tomato sauce and cheese.
Another supported the claim and wrote: ‘It’s clearly a menu from the UK. They don’t say everything exactly the same as Australians.’
And as it turns out the Teesside Parmesan originates from Britain while the Australian chicken parmigiana traces back to Italy.
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