Similar to the Parmesan squabble, Coca-Cola has come under fire from interests in Bolivia which are seeking to ban sales of the soft drink, claiming it got the name from the indigenous coca plant. - Reuters

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP):

Parmesan or Parmigiano? The difference is lost on most consumers - as long as lots of it is grated on some al dente pasta. At the European Union's highest court, however, food is politics - and big business.

An adviser to the European Court of Justice said Thursday that Germany did not have to prosecute cheese producers who market some hard cheeses as 'Parmesan', even if it does not originate from Italy's fabled countryside around the city of Parma.

On the other hand, the same adviser said that Germany had failed to prove that Parmesan is a generic term different from the already-protected 'Parmigiano Reggiano' wording.

It sets up a thrilling finale when the full Court of Justice will finally rule later this year on whether 'Parmesan' can only be made by northern Italians or any cheesemaker in Europe.

At stake is gustatory nationalism that goes to the core of Italy's heart and stomach. On the other hand, it has an immediate effect on the pocketbooks of dairy giants in countries like Germany and Denmark.

Similar disputes are played out in national courts or even at the World Trade Organisation, when it comes to cheeses such as Swiss Emmental or Greek feta.

While one side claims protection of a cultural heritage, the other calls it plain economic protectionism.

The Danes, one of the main parties in the fabled feta issue, support Germany in the court case.

"Slowly, you start protecting everything. Where will it end?" asked Kasper Thormod, a consultant with the Danish dairy board. "If we are good at producing a product, it should be to the benefit of all."