TEESSIDERS are as familiar with the concept of the parmesan as they are their own families.

Its existence for the rest of the world can often come as a shock - not least when it comes to counting calories.

These days, the dish is most recognisable as something best enjoyed following a heavy night at the pub. Post-pub tradition dictates the parmesan must be bought from the most dubious looking takeaway you can find at around 2am, left to sweat on your knee in the back of a taxi for 20 minutes and then consumed at speed before regret sets in. More upmarket versions can be enjoyed at restaurants throughout Teesside, but it’s not the same.

Wherever you indulge, you will receive a large, flattened (usually fried) breast of bread-crumbed chicken, or pork, drowned in béchamel sauce, covered in cheese and served with chips, salad and a variety of toppings should you be feeling adventurous – garlic sauce is a must.

The calorie count for this “monstrous piece of food” (as the chair of the National Obesity Forum refers to it) can add up to around 2,000.

Wikipedia tells us that the parmo is a Teesside institution, believed to have first been cooked up in 1958 by former soldier Nicos Harris at the American Grill restaurant he ran on Middlesbrough’s Linthorpe Road. However, there are many variations on this myth and attempts to establish the real truth have been known to bring people almost to blows.