Italian police have caught the merry band of thieves who roamed throughout the country for multiple years while stealing 2,039 wheels of Parmegiano-Reggiano worth an estimated $875,000.
Parmegiano-Reggiano, like many specific gourmet foods, can only be called that if produced in certain areas of the country. (Think: Champagne in France.) That little shaker of grated cheese you have in your fridge? Hate to break the news to you, but it's probably not real Parmegiano-Reggiano. This regional requirement for authenticity makes the cheese highly sought after--so much so that apparently some banks in Italy will accept wheels of Parmegiano-Reggiano as collateral for a loan. It seems Kraft Singles won't get you far.
According to the Centre for Retail Research, cheese is the most stolen food on Earth, with upwards of 4% of all cheese produced in 2011 stolen.
And none of that 4% is the string cheese you're buying at the grocery store.
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