Grana Padano

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Grana Padano is a hard cheese used for grating. It is like Parmesan, but it is not aged as long, it has a milder flavour, and its texture is a little coarser.

The cheese is made from raw, semi-skim cow's milk. The milk is put in large pots made of copper. Whey from a previous day's batch is used as the starter. It is allowed to ferment a bit before being added to the milk. When it's added, the milk heated is to between 88 F and 91 F (31 to 33 C.) Rennet is then added. The curd is cut, but not drained of its whey, then heated and stirred, heated up between 127 F and 133 F (53 and 56 C.) It is then allowed to rest for anywhere from half an hour to an hour submersed in the heated whey. For this reason, Grana Padano can be classed as a "cooked cheese."

The curd is then drained and packed into cylinder moulds weighing on average 75 pounds (34 kg.) The cheese wheels are aged for a minimum of 8 months, and turned while aging. A good deal of Grana Padano is aged longer, up to a year to a year and a half.

The rind is oiled and a gold colour. Inside, the cheese is white or straw-yellow with a granular texture.

Grana Padano is not well known in North America and the UK, because Parmesan is the one that has been marketed to consumers as the one to use all the time. In fact, however, Grana outsells Parmesan 10 to 1 in Italy. Italians use it for everyday cooking, reserving the more expensive Parmesan for particular dishes or occasions or for use as a finishing cheese. Parmesan, in fact, didn't get its start until 200 years after Grana, and it was a copy of Grana.

Grana Padano has had protected status in Italy since 1955. It has been a PDO cheese since 1996. It is made in Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto.


Substitutes
Parmesan cheese

Nutrition
Per 100g (3 1/2 oz): 385 calories, 28g fat, 33g protein, 1165 mg calcium, 140 mg cholesterol, 1.6g sodium, 120 mg potassium.

Storage
Under the right conditions, Grana Padano can be stored uncut for 1 to 2 years.

History
The technique for making Grana Padano was developed by Cistercian monks at Chiaravalle in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. It was being made by 1150 AD; by 1477 it was well known throughout Italy. The cheese has a good storage life, so it was easy to trade and transport

Language Notes
The name "grana" refers to is granular texture.

Also called:
Formaggio grana, Grana Padano (Italian)

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