Grana’s crust, diced in risotto. Mh, guilty pleasure!
Origin
Would you have ever thought that Grana Padana came from the province of Milan? It’s true. To be precise it was in the abbey of Chiaravalle in 1134 where the Cistercian monks first made it in special boilers in the monastery, becoming the first cheese producers. They called it caseus vetus or ‘old cheese’ but the general population, who were less familiar with Latin, gave it a different name. They called it ‘grana’ because of the cheese’s dense, grainy texture. The most well known types of grana are lodesano or lodigiano, which many consider the oldest type, as well as Milanese, parmigiano, (parmesan), piacentino and mantovano.
Cookit
Grana Padano’s consistency is hard and it should not be cut but broken. It is great when grated because because it gives the extra touch of deliciousness to any kind of pasta. It is also a scrumptious appetiser and side dish. Grana is particularly loved by wine enthusiasts and conoisseurs because this cheese combines wonderfully with many different types of white wine.
Did you know that
The DOP award was given to Grana Padano in 1996 by the European Community and in 2006 it was decided that the term Grana alone, separated from Padano couldn’t be used by generic producers. Not everyone is aware that there’s a special Grana Padano variety produced in Trento.
