Parmo Totally Explained

Everything about Parmo totally explained

Parmo or Parmesan is a popular food dish primarily sold in take aways in and around the Teesside area of North East England, where it also originated. Its original name was 'Escalope Parmesan' and was made from pork meat or chicken 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 was created by Nicos Harris in 1958, at 'The American Grill', the restaurant he owned on Linthorpe Road, Middlesbrough.
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 and American Italian restaurants.

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.
In the last year or so, an increasing number of 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 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. According to local legend in 1993 a Teesside man known as 'Abo' 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:

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 cheese

Parmo Bolognese - Chicken or Pork with Bolognese sauce

Meat Feast Parmo - Chicken or Pork topped with pepperoni, chicken and ham

Hickory Chicken Parmo - Standard parmo topped with ham and BBQ sauce

Pizza parmo - Chicken or Bolognese parmo served on a pizza base with chili and garlic 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.

TV Appearance

The Parmo appeared on ITV's Saturday Cooks on 15 December 2007, and was cooked by Antony Worrall Thompson.

Further Information

Get more info on 'Parmo'.

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