- Grana Padano
Infobox Cheese
name = Grana Padano
othernames =
country =Italy
regiontown =Emilia-Romagna :
province of PiacenzaLombardy :
provinces of Bergamo, Brescia
Cremona, Lodi,
Mantua (to the left of the Po),
Milan and PaviaPiedmont :
province of CuneoVeneto :
province of
Padua, Verona
Vicenza, Rovigo and Treviso,Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol :
province of TrentoIn addition to these main centres
production is permitted in
Emilia Romagna: province of Bologna
(to the right of the Reno)
Ferrara, Ravenna,
Forlì-Cesena. and Rimini
Lombardy: provinces of Como,
Lecco, Sondrio and Varese
Piedmont: provinces of Alessandria,
Asti, Biella, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola,
Novara, Turin and Vercelli
Veneto: province of Veniceregion =
town =
source =Cow s
pasteurised = No
texture = Hard
fat =
protein =
dimensions =
weight =
aging = 8–24 months
certification = Italy: DO1955 EU : PDO1996 Grana Padano is one of the most popular
Denominazione di Origine Controllata cheese s ofItaly . The name comes from the noun "grana" (‘grain’), which refers to the distinctively grainy texture of the cheese, and the adjective "Padano", which refers to the valley "Pianura Padana". Grana Padano is made in the Region ofLombardy , in thePo Valley .Grana Padano was created by the
Cistercian monks ofChiaravalle who used ripened cheese as a way of preserving surplus milk. By the year 1477, it was regarded as one of the most famous cheeses of Italy. Today, this similar products are made in the regions ofEmilia-Romagna ,Lombardy ,Piedmont , Trentino, andVeneto .Like Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano is a semi-fat hard cheese which is cooked and ripened slowly (for up to 18 months). It is produced by curdling the
milk of grass-fedcow s. The cows are milked twice a day, the milk is left to stand, and then partially creamed. It is produced all year round and the quality can vary seasonally as well as by year. A wheel of Grana Padano is cylindrical, with slightly convex or almost straight sides and flat faces. It measures 35 to 45 cm in diameter, and 15 to 18 cm in height. It weighs 24 to 40kg per wheel. The rind, which is thin, is white or straw yellow.Grana Padano cheese has been produced since the
12th century , and production and quality are now overseen by the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano.External links
* [http://www.granapadano.com/ing/consortium/index.htm Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano] en icon
*Zeppa, Giuseppe " [http://dairyscience.info/htm/grana.asp GRANA PADANO a cheese from Piedmont] " en icon
* [http://www.milkonline.com/fiera/cheese/disciplinari/Grana%20Padano.htm "Disciplinare di produzione"] it
* [http://www.clal.it/index.php?section=video&v=2 Video - How Grana Padano is made]
* [http://photos.hhoffman.co.uk/p56769887/ Photos of the production process]
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