Grana Padano

Appearance & taste

A wheel of Grana Padano has slightly convex or almost straight sides and a slightly raised edge on the flat faces. It measures 35 to 45 cm in diameter, is 18 to 25 cm high and weighs 24 to 40 kg. The hard, smooth rind is 4 to 8 mm thick and dark or naturally golden yellow.

The paste is hard and finely grained, with barely visible holes. It breaks into flakes along radial cracks. Its colour ranges from white to straw yellow; the taste is delicate, the aroma fragrant.

While the wheels are still fresh, a pattern of small dotted diamonds is embossed all around them, with “GRANA” and “PADANO” alternating between them, together with the dairy’s identification and the year and month of production. A casein plate with a code identifies each wheel uniquely. Grana Padano from the province of Trento, for which the cows are given no silage all year round, may carry its own marking as “Trentingrana”, with stylised mountains and the word “TRENTINO”.

A cheese may be called “Riserva” if it has ripened for at least 20 months in the production area after moulding, is graded “scelto sperlato” (first choice, without defects) and has, among other things, a visibly grainy structure and no abnormal smells. It is given its own brand with the inscription “RISERVA OLTRE 20 MESI” (“more than 20 months”). On packaging there is also “Riserva Oltre 24 Mesi”; the actual age may be stated from 12 months.

Production

The cows are kept in the production area and are fed mainly on fresh grass or dry fodder. At least half of the dry matter of their feed must come from the area each year, and at least 75 % of the dry matter in the daily ration must come from the milk production area. Roughage makes up at least half of the dry matter of the daily ration. Silage is permitted, except for the “Trentingrana” type.

Partly skimmed raw milk from two milkings on one day is used; milk from a single milking is also permitted. Natural whey starter and rennet from calves’ stomachs are added. Production and ripening take place in the area.

Grating and packaging are also only permitted there. The specification gives this reason: freshly grated cheese has to be packed airtight at once so that it does not dry out, and grated cheese is harder to recognise as genuine than a marked wheel. Leftover pieces from portioning may be made into grated cheese if the rind content is at most 18 % and the origin of the wheels remains traceable; they may not be sold on their own.

Origin & history

According to the specification, the area consists of water-rich alluvial and lowland soils that are among the most fertile in the world. Together with the microclimate, they favour the growing of maize, which forms the basis of the dairy cows’ feed and can make up to 50 % of its dry matter. The specification attributes the white to straw-yellow colour of the paste as well as its aroma and taste mainly to the maize, which is fed as silage. Raw milk and natural whey starter bring the lactic acid bacteria of the area into the cheese.

From the 11th century onwards, the Po Valley was cleared for farming and its water regulated. This laid the foundations for keeping cattle on a larger scale. Because the quantities of milk exceeded the daily needs of the rural population, there was both an incentive and a need to turn it into cheese that would keep. According to the specification, the cheesemaker, the “casaro”, has always played a central role: Grana Padano is still made by cheesemakers today, not by technicians or scientists.