There's only one real Parmesan cheese. And it's made in Parma, Italy

It's official. Only the tasty, crumbly cheese that has been made for some 800 years near the Italian city of Parma can legally be called Parmesan.

The European Court of Justice made that ruling on Tuesday in a case dating back to 2003. The court criticized Germany for allowing sales of imitation Parmesan, in violation of European Union food origin rules that reserve the name Parmesan for Italian cheese only.

The German dairy industry estimates German farmers produce some 10-thousand tonnes of their own version of "Parmesan" a year.

The court didn't punish Germany, but from now German producers will have to change the name of their cheese.

Over the years, the EU has become more active in legally protecting dozens of brand names of foods and drink peculiar to European regions - from Champagne to feta cheese.