All About Grana Padano

Grana Padano is an aged Italian cheese with a hard and flaky texture, golden yellow natural rind, and a nutty haylike interior. Like most cheese, it comes off with a salty creamy taste but it stands out by having a mild and lingering aftertaste. The cheese is aged for a minimum of 9 months and a maximum of up to 20 months for the most pronounced flavor.

How Is Grana Padano Made?

With a recipe that has been in circulation since the 12th century, the Grana Padano is an excellent representative of tradition, culture, and food art. That is especially so since Grana Padano requires a delicate touch and precision in its production.

The cows are milked twice, once in the morning and once in the evening. The two different milking intervals produce milk with different fat content, with the morning milk being lower in fat content than the evening milk. The milk is then mixed together to form semi-skimmed milk, which is then left unpasteurized. The semi-skimmed milk is then poured into copper cauldrons and mixed with whey and rennet to produce the cheese curd. The curd is then treated to a temperature that stimulates bacteria and then separated to settle. It is then set into a wheel-shaped mold and soaked in brine for a period of not less than 2 weeks. After salting it as a finishing touch, the wheel is then aged for not less than 9 months. After that, it is inspected for flavor, texture, and aroma before being sold or used.

What’s Unique About Grana Padano?

The thing that makes Grana Padano stand out is its purity. It is made from natural ingredients without artificial flavors, preservatives, or additives, creating a natural, gluten-free cheese.

Uses Of Grana Padano

Grana Padano does well as a standalone cheese or as dressing for your dish. It is best served with natural sweets such as honey, dates, or figs. It does particularly well when grated since it produces fine, nutty crystals but it is not famed for its melting quality. That said, it can integrate into any meal or soup just as well as any other cheese, without losing its nuanced taste. More importantly, the rind is also an ingredient of its own. Although it’s too hard and unpleasant to eat directly, it does well in a soup if you let it simmer for 1 – 2 hours. 

Storage of Grana Padano

Although it is low in moisture content, the Grana Padano is best refrigerated at about 40 C (40 F) as a naturally produced and aged cheese. However, it is not ideal to freeze it since it ruins the texture. If you must freeze it, you should do it after grating it, then store it in an airtight container.

Substitutes of Grana Padano

The Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan is the cheese that’s closest in texture and flavor profile to the Grand Padano. However, unlike the Grana Padano, which is mild in taste, the Parmigiano Reggiano has a sharper taste and is more expensive than the Grana Padano.

The Bottomline

The Grana Padano is one of the best Italian cheeses that you can find. It has a mild creamy taste and is great eaten alone or as an accompaniment to your dish. More importantly, it is all-natural and affordable compared to most other cheeses. If you want to experience this delicious cheese for yourself, make a reservation at AquaPazza and experience our delicious Italian and seafood options!