Parmigiano Reggiano Parmesan Cheese
What is the difference between Grana Padano and Parmigiano Cheese.
In actuality, these cheese are quite similar. Both are made from the same ingredients (milk and rennet) and both are made by heating the milk; curdling it with the rennet, gathering curds into a ball, shaping the ball into a wheel – and then aging the wheel for two or more years. The end result is a cheese that is rich in protein and calcium and has much less fat then one might expect.
The main difference is primarily the forage or landscape it is produced in. The meadows in the production area between Parma and Reggio have certain grasses – while those in the meadows of the section of Lombardy that produces Grana have others. As a result there are slight differences in flavour and colour (Grana is paler). Parmigiano has more organic certification on its milk and is aged for 9-12 years and the cows producing it eat only grass and cereals – no preservatives or antiobiotics. Cows that have been treated with antibiotics are suspended from production of Parmigiano-Reggiano (there is a rigorous testing and certification process). Grana Padano has some milk from cows that eat grain and is only aged for up to 7 years.
For every day use, either cheese would be satisfactory although some ‘experts’ suggest that Grana be used in recipes where the cheese is an ingredient – as opposed to having it grated at the table – mainly because Grana is generally somewhat cheaper.