Wine, tortillas or even vegetable soup are obviously vegetarian, right? Well, if you're on a plant-based or vegan diet, you might want to double-check. Some foods that are seemingly animal-free might not actually be. Surprising ingredients, including animal byproducts, sneak into everyday staples without much warning.
We spoke with food and drink experts to learn about 10 common foods that aren't always vegetarian-friendly. Here's everything to know.
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Cheese
Real Parmigiano-Reggiano isn't a vegetarian product, due to the use of rennet during production. Parmigiano Reggiano Consortium
Alarmist headlines like to specifically call out Parmigiano-Reggiano as a nonvegetarian cheese, but Parm is far from the only culprit in the cheese category that contains more than just milk.
"Cheese is often not vegetarian because of the use of rennet, which helps the milk coagulate and separate into curds and whey," explained Emily Monaco, an international cheese judge and journalist. "Traditionally, rennet comes from the stomach of a baby animal: calf, kid or lamb. While similar, [plant-based] enzymes can be used for similar effects, many cheeses rely on animal-based rennet, especially in France," and throughout Europe.
Check your ingredient lists, or ask your cheesemonger if you're unsure. "Rennet" will pretty much always indicate animal rennet, but "vegetarian rennet," "microbial rennet," "thistle (cardoon) rennet" or another coagulant such as lemon juice, acid or vinegar indicate a truly vegetarian cheese.
White or processed sugar
Certain types of white sugar are produced using bone char. Getty Images
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