Parmo or
Parmesan is a popular food dish primarily sold in
take awaysTake-out , carry-out , take-away , parcel , or tapau , is food purchased at a restaurant but eaten elsewhere. The restaurant may or may not provide table service...
throughout
North East EnglandNorth-East England is one of the nine official regions of England and comprises the combined area of Northumberland, County Durham, Tyne and Wear, and Tees Valley. The historic name for North-East England is Northumbria and whilst a few regional bodies still use this name, it is rarely used in...
, especially popular in
MiddlesbroughMiddlesbrough is a town in the Tees Valley conurbation of North East England and sits within the ceremonial county of North Yorkshire. It is the largest and most populous settlement within the Borough of Middlesbrough, which encompasses the town and several outlying villages which have become...
, where it originated. Its original name was 'Escalope Parmesan' and is made from pork meat or chicken and is served both as a restaurant meal and a take-out snack, often accompanied by
chipsChips are slab-cut pieces of potato that have been deep-fried or baked. They form part of the popular take-away meal fish and chips.-History:The first chip fried in Britain was apparently on the site of Oldham's Tommyfield Market in 1860...
and a choice of
saladSalad is any of a wide variety of dishes including: green salads; vegetable salads; salads of pasta, legumes, or grains; mixed salads incorporating meat, poultry, or seafood; and fruit salads. They include a mixture of cold or hot foods, often including raw vegetables and/or fruits.Green salads...
,
coleslawColeslaw, sometimes simply called slaw in some American dialects, is a salad consisting primarily of shredded raw cabbage. It can also include shredded carrots.-Variations:...
or creamed cabbage.
The Parmo was created by Nicos Harris, a chef with the
AmericaThe United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
n army in
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. He was wounded in France but was brought to the
United KingdomThe United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a sovereign state located off the northwestern coast of continental Europe. It is an island country, spanning an archipelago including Great Britain, the northeastern part of Ireland, and many small islands...
to be treated in a British hospital. Eventually, he moved to Middlesbrough and opened a restaurant on Linthorpe Road where he created the Parmo at The American Grill in 1958.
His son-in-law, Caramello, still lives in Teesside and continues the family tradition. The Parmo is somewhat similar to the veal or chicken
ParmigianaParmigiana describes a Italian inspired dish with tomato sauce, melted cheese served over a sliced vegetable or a meat patty\fillet. The dish is based upon melanzane alla parmigiana or eggplant parmigiana , a classic Southern Italian dish...
which is commonly eaten in
ItalianItalian cuisine as a national cuisine known today has evolved through centuries of social and political changes, with its roots traced back to 4th century BC...
restaurants across the world.
In 2009,
AsdaAsda is a British supermarket chain which retails food, clothing, toys and general merchandise. They also have a mobile network, called Asda Mobile....
started selling parmo in their shops in Teesside. They claimed they were selling 6,000 chicken parmos a week, making them at the time the shop's fastest selling line. Asda is currently considering selling them in other shops.
Cooking style
Making a Parmo involves deep-frying a flattened chicken or pork fillet in an egg and breadcrumb
batterBatter is a liquid mixture, usually based on one or more flours combined with liquids such as water, milk or beer. Egg is a common component. Often a leavening agent is included to aerate and fluff up the batter as it cooks, or the mixture may be naturally fermented for this purpose as well as to...
, then smothering it in thick
Bechamel sauceBéchamel sauce or besciamella , also known as white sauce, is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. It is used as the base for other sauces . It is traditionally made by whisking scalded milk gradually into a white flour-butter roux...
before topping off with cheddar cheese (the original Parmos were topped with Parmesan cheese, hence the name) and then grilling or baking in the
pizzaPizza is a world-popular dish of Italian origin, made with an oven-baked, flat, generally round bread that is often covered with tomatoes or a tomato-based sauce and cheese. Other toppings are added according to region, culture, or personal preference.Originating in a part of Italian cuisine, the...
oven. Originally
vealVeal is the meat of young cattle . Though veal can be produced from a calf of either sex and any breed, most veal comes from male calves of dairy cattle breeds. Compared to beef, veal has a delicate taste and tender texture.-Types:...
was used but later this was replaced by
porkPork is the culinary name for meat from the domestic pig . The word pork often denotes specifically the fresh meat of the pig, but can be used as an all-inclusive term which includes cured, smoked, or processed meats It is one of the most-commonly consumed meats worldwide, with evidence of pig...
. In more recent times
chickenThe chicken is a domesticated fowl. As one of the most common and widespread domestic animals, and with a population of more than 24 billion in 2003, there are more chickens in the world than any other bird...
became more popular as more
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-owned takeaway restaurants opened.
An increasing number of take away outlets have started using processed chicken instead of real chicken breast, presumably to keep costs down. Parmos made with processed chicken are generally recognised to be inferior in quality to those made with chicken breast.
The Parmo is generally available in two sizes and terminology varies between outlets:
- Large or full Parmo
- Half or regular Parmo.
Parmos are also served with the addition of toppings. In 1993
TeessideTeesside is the name given to the conurbation in the North East of England made up of the towns of Middlesbrough, Stockton-on-Tees, Redcar, Billingham and surrounding settlements. It was also the name of a local government district between 1968 and 1974—the County Borough of Teesside...
man Neal Aberdeen asked Gi-Gi's takeaway to add some
pepperoniPepperoni is a spicy Italian-American variety of salami made from cured and fermented pork. However, Halal or Kosher Pepperoni may be made from beef....
to the topping before cooking, following which local takeaways added a variety of "topped Parmos" to their menus. They are usually named after pizza toppings, tend to vary from shop to shop. Common toppings include:
- Parmo Hotshot - Chicken or Pork, topped with cheese, pepperoni, peppers, garlic butter and chili
- Parmo Kiev - Chicken only, topped with cheese and garlic butter
- Parmo Italia - Chicken or Pork, topped with cheese, garlic butter and ham, with a further topping of mozzarella
Mozzarella is a generic term for several kinds of originally Italian cheeses that are made using spinning and then cutting :...
cheese
- Meat Feast Parmo - Chicken or Pork topped with pepperoni, chicken and ham
A Teesside takeaway also cooks a vegetarian version:
- Nichola Marina Vegetarian Parmo - A vegetarian version of the parmo created by Charlie Constantine and named in honour of his late daughter, who was a vegetarian.
The full Parmo is usually served in a pizza box along with its chips/fries and side order due to its large size, though a large round
polystyrenePolystyrene , sometimes abbreviated PS, is an aromatic polymer made from the aromatic monomer styrene, a liquid hydrocarbon that is commercially manufactured from petroleum by the chemical industry...
tray is also common.
TV Appearance
The Parmo appeared on ITV's Saturday Cooks on 15 December 2007, and was cooked by
Antony Worrall ThompsonHenry Antony Cardew Worrall Thompson is an English celebrity chef, television presenter and radio broadcaster.-Biography:...
, with guidance from Tamsinne Hatfield who originally brought the recipe to the attention of the chef.
The Parmesan appeared on Channel 4's
Ruth Watson's Hotel RescueRuth Watson's Hotel Rescue is an observational documentary television series which airs on British terrestrial television channel, Channel 4....
programme on 14 October 2009 from the
Kenbarry Hotel/The Blackpool,
BlackpoolBlackpool is a seaside town in Lancashire, England. Situated along the coast of the Irish Sea, it has a population of 142,900, making it the fourth-largest settlement in North West England behind Manchester, Liverpool and Warrington...
where Ruth described it as 'the anti-Christ of cooking'.
External links