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Parmesan is a food\u2014but it\u2019s not just a food. Italy\u2019s beloved cheese is often paired with a deep craving for tradition and identity. But its history also involves intrepid immigrants, lucrative businesses and an American version that\u2019s probably available in your local grocery store.\n\nAfter a notorious debunker of Italian-cuisine myths claims this Wisconsin-made product is the real deal, we embark on a quest to answer the question: Has an Italian delicacy been right under our noses this whole time?\n\nDecoder Ring is produced by Willa Paskin with Katie Shepherd. This episode was written by Willa Paskin and edited by Andrea Bruce. We had production help from Patrick Fort and editing help from Joel Meyer. Derek John is Slate\u2019s executive producer of narrative podcasts. Merritt Jacob is our senior technical director.\n\nThank you to Giacomo Stefanini for translating. Thank you to Fabio Parasecoli, Ken Kane, Thomas McNamee, Dan Weber, Irene Graziosi, James Norton, and Ian MacAllen, whose knowledge and book Red Sauce: How Italian Food Became American were very helpful.\xa0\n\nYou should also read Marianna Giusti\u2019s article in the Financial Times. If you feel like really nerding out, we also recommend the 1948 academic study Italian Cheese Production in the American Dairy Region.\n\nWe also included clips in this episode from David Rocco\u2019s YouTube channel about how Parmigiano-Reggiano is made and from Gennaro Contaldo\u2019s YouTube documentary on the same subject.\n\nIf you haven\u2019t yet, please subscribe and rate our feed on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts. And even better, tell your friends.\n\nIf you\u2019re a fan of the show and want to support us, consider signing up for Slate Plus. As a member, you\u2019ll get to listen to Decoder Ring without any ads\u2014and your support is crucial to our work. Go to slate.com/decoderplus to join Slate Plus today.\nLearn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices