Parmo

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A typical take-away Parmo

Parmo or Parmesan is a popular food dish, found primarly in the Teesside area of North East England, where it also originated. Its original name was 'Escalope Parmesan' and was made from pork meat and is served both as a restaurant meal and a take-out snack, accompanied by chips and a choice of salad, coleslaw or creamed cabbage.

The Parmo is very similar to the veal or chicken Parmigiana which is commonly eaten in Australia as a local pub meal or in Australian Italian restaurants.

1 Cooking style
2 Outside Teesside
- 2.1 England
- 2.2 Hong Kong
3 References

[edit] Cooking style

Making a Parmo involves deep-frying a flattened chicken or pork fillet in an egg and breadcrumb batter, then smothering it in Bechamel sauce before topping off with cheddar cheese (the original Parmos were topped with Parmesan cheese, hence the name) and then grilling or baking in the pizza oven. Originally veal was used but later this was replaced by pork. In more recent times chicken became an option. The Parmo is available in two sizes and terminology varies between outlets:

Large or full Parmo
Half or regular Parmo. Sometimes known as a Ladies or Ilunga's' Parmo

Parmos are also served with the addition of toppings. According to local legend in 1993 a Teesside man known as 'Abo' (other reports claim it was a Stockton man by the name of Glenn Conroy) asked Gi-Gi's take away to add some pepperoni 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 and include:

A Meat Feast Parmo from 'Four Seasons' in Stockton on Tees

Parmo Hotshot - Chicken or Pork, topped with cheese, pepperoni, peppers, garlic butter and chilli
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 cheese
Parmo Bolognese - Chicken or Pork with Bolognese sauce
Meat Feast Parmo - Chicken or Pork topped with pepperoni, chicken and ham
Hickory Chicken Parmo - Invented by Pizza Box in New Marske consisting of a standard parmo topped with ham and BBQ sauce

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 polystyrene tray is also common.

[edit] Outside Teesside

A shot of the front cover of the menu from 'Parmesan House', Tyldesley, Greater Manchester

To help Teessiders living away from home who miss their Parmos, and to help non-Teessiders try this delicious feast, Parmos may be found at the places in the following list. Please note, since these are non-Teesside food outlets the presentation of the Parmo may be quirky, and are noted:

[edit] England

Parmesan House, Sale Lane, Tyldesley, Greater Manchester - Parmo is cut into squares with a pizza cutter and served with a fork.

Slice, opposite Life Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne - As above, served with the traditional salad and chips.

Pamier Pizza, London Road, Sheffield - Again, they are served cut into squares, and are available with any of their pizza toppings. Slightly larger than a standard half parmo in Middlesbrough but considerably more expensive.

Al Forno, Sea Front, Whitley Bay

The Parmeasan had most recently known to have stretched as far south of England as Felixstowe, a seaside town on the Suffolk coast. The parmasan was first introduced to felixstowe through Rab Moghal who introduced it to his takeout menu at favourite chicken.