Dubai, UAE: October 26, 2026: Parmigiano Reggiano Day is celebrated worldwide on October 27. To mark the occasion in the UAE, the Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium has launched a week-long celebration in partnership with 13 Italian restaurants across Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Each selected restaurant will offer a curated menu of gourmet dishes featuring Parmigiano Reggiano at different stages of maturation. Several of the participating venues will also host the traditional Pasta alla Ruota experience, in which freshly cooked pasta is finished directly in a wheel of Parmigiano Reggiano.
Participating restaurants in Dubai include Gloria Osteria, Mamabella, Belcanto, Arrogante, Vera Versilia, Chic Nonna, Siena and Gigi Rigoletto. In Abu Dhabi, Italian food lovers can enjoy Parmigiano Reggiano based dishes in TOTÓ, Verso, Villa Toscana, Novikov and Amalfi Ristorante from October 26- November 1, 2026.
To celebrate the occasion, participating restaurants will give prominent visibility to the Parmigiano Reggiano branding, reinforcing a growing sense of community. The initiative is aligned with the Consortium’s international campaign, “Più Grande Insieme” (“Greater Together”), which celebrates the shared passion, expertise and connections that bring the world of Parmigiano Reggiano closer to consumers.
Nicola Bertinelli, President of the Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano, comments: “Parmigiano Reggiano Day celebrates the ‘King of Cheese’ and Italian culinary heritage. The Middle East is an important market for us: in the first eight months of 2026, sales in the GCC increased by 10% compared with the same period last year, reaching 197 tonnes, up from 179 tonnes. More broadly, exports accounted for 54.8% of total Parmigiano Reggiano sales in the first eight months of 2026, up from 51.5% in the same period of 2025. We are delighted to celebrate Parmigiano Reggiano Day in the UAE with our partners, creating a week of memorable culinary experiences for cheese aficionados. Across Dubai and Abu Dhabi, selected Italian restaurants will give guests the opportunity to discover, taste and experience Parmigiano Reggiano through dedicated dishes created by their chefs, and through different tasting experiences.”
Parmigiano Reggiano Day was launched on October 27, 2012, following the twin earthquakes that struck the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy in May of the same year. The earthquakes damaged more than 360,000 wheels of ageing Parmigiano Reggiano, seriously affecting the livelihoods of many cheesemakers. The initiative invited people worldwide to cook dishes with Parmigiano Reggiano and share their creations on social media to raise awareness of the cheese and support the local dairy industry. The campaign received an extraordinary response, with thousands of participants joining the initiative and contributing to the sale of many affected wheels, helping the local cheese industry to recover.
Interested consumers can contact participating restaurants directly to make reservations.
Issued on behalf of Consorzio del Formaggio Parmigiano Reggiano.
