Grana Padano Cheese

HISTORY
The history of Grana Padano cheese is parallel to that of Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. The technology used during their production is very similar. There are in fact only a few small differences, such as the area of production, which are decisive though in making the two products different. On average, Parmigiano Reggiano cheese is superior to Grana Padano cheese in terms of quality, although some Grana Padano yields can be equally as good as some Parmigiano Reggiano ones. Grana Padano cheese was first made in Lombardy, around the 20's of the last century, when the first dairies were built leading to the birth of forms of cooperation even in this sector. Today Grana Padano cheese is the Italian best-selling product worldwide.

CHARACTERISTICS
In order to describe the characteristics of Grana Padano, one understand the technology used in the production of Parmigiano Reggiano and highlight differences, which are minimal, although decisive in determining the product quality. It can be said that Grana Padano can be considered a step below Parmigiano-Reggiano, although there is a wide range of overlapping, that is to say an excellent Grana Padano may be better than many of medium-quality Parmigiano cheese rounds. However, excellent Grana Padano will never be as good as Parmigiano Reggiano.
PRODUCTION AREA
The area of production of Grana Padano encompasses all 5 regions and 32 provinces located in the Po Valley, from Piedmont to Veneto, also including the Province of Trento and some areas of the Emilia Romagna region.