Most cheese contains rennet - a substance used to bind cheese together - so next time you buy a cheese sandwich for lunch or order a parmigiana di melanzane (layers of aubergine and parmisan cheese) or a rocket and buffalo mozzarella salad at a restaurant because they have a nice big V next to them, think about if you want to be eating cheese which is made with rennet from a calf's stomach lining. Basically the traditional source of rennet is from the stomach of slaughtered newly-born calves.
So your usual cheddar that you buy behind the cheese counter, brie, parmesan, mozzarella, edam, peppered cheese etc, are not vegetarian.
However if you can't live without cheese there are other options - there are plenty of Vegetarian cheeses around that are manufactured using rennet from either fungal/bacterial sources or genetically modified micro-organisms. These cheeses will say suitable for vegetarians and will be made with vegetable rennet or microbial rennet.
So you are left with not much choice really! Most soft cheeses do not usually contain rennet so they are ok.
Best option is to learn to live without cheese!
Next time you at a restaurant please let the manager/owner know if something is marked V and it is clearly not vegetarian. Vegetarians should enjoy eating out too.
So your usual cheddar that you buy behind the cheese counter, brie, parmesan, mozzarella, edam, peppered cheese etc, are not vegetarian.
However if you can't live without cheese there are other options - there are plenty of Vegetarian cheeses around that are manufactured using rennet from either fungal/bacterial sources or genetically modified micro-organisms. These cheeses will say suitable for vegetarians and will be made with vegetable rennet or microbial rennet.
So you are left with not much choice really! Most soft cheeses do not usually contain rennet so they are ok.
Best option is to learn to live without cheese!
Next time you at a restaurant please let the manager/owner know if something is marked V and it is clearly not vegetarian. Vegetarians should enjoy eating out too.