The Cheesy Snack You Can Order At McDonald's In Italy

One of the joys of travel, especially as food-loving Americans, is to go to other countries and get our hands on something new and tasty. While we all want to sip regional wines and twirl handmade pasta in Italy, we also enjoy seeing what international McDonald's menus have that we don't. And Italy understood the assignment.

One menu item from McDonald's Italy is something extremely on-brand for the country: a straight-up hunk of Parmigiano Reggiano. No bun, no sauce, no fries — just some classic, aged cheese served as a snack. It's both unexpected and undeniably genius. 

Italians take their cheese seriously, and McDonald's has decided to lean all the way into that with a product that requires zero explanation. Aged for 12 months, this Parmigiano Reggiano snack is about as far from fast food as you can get (unless you count the speed at which we'd eat it). Literally dubbed a "Parmesan snack," you can order it on its own, or as a side — kids can even get it with their Happy Meals. 

If there's one thing Americans respect, it's the pursuit of good cheese — even if we usually find it melted between two buns. So, is it odd by American standards? Maybe. Is it iconic? Absolutely. So if you're the kind of person who loves trying international McDonald's just for the experience, add Italy to your list.

Beyond the Parmesan snack, McDonald's Italy also serves uniquely local items like the McToast, a toasted ham-and-cheese sandwich, and the pistachio McFlurry, because no self-respecting Italian menu is complete without pistachios.

Of course, McDonald's is a brand that knows how to stand alone while seamlessly assimilating. They're known for unique offerings that suit the culture they come from across the globe. Japan has soy sauce burgers, France offers macarons, and in India, where beef is off the menu, the McAloo Tikki, a spiced potato patty, reigns supreme. Italy, like other international locations, has mastered the art of elevating fast food into something sophisticated while still keeping it comfortingly familiar.

And then there are the McDonald's locations elsewhere that push the limits of what we consider "fast food." In Thailand, you can grab a Samurai Pork Burger, while in Sweden, you'll find a McVegan, available on gluten-free bread. Hong Kong even offers a tonkotsu-based noodle dish for breakfast.

So, though the golden arches often seem like an American beacon, these wow-worthy eats are a reminder that across the globe, McDonald's menus do change, perhaps for the better. And we'd like to believe that foreigners probably visit America to ooh and ahh over our McRib and our neon-green Shamrock Shake ... right?