John Myers
The biggest difference is the place of manufacture: Grana Padano comes from cheese dairies throughout the Po Valley, and the eponymous provinces for Parmigiano Reggiano – also Parmesan cheese – are Parma and Reggio Emilia as well as parts of Modena, Bologna, and Mantua. Furthermore, Parmigiano has about eight percent more fat than the Grana Padano and also matures longer. Both kinds of cheese are almost identical in production. They differ in price, especially with the longer-ripened Parmesan loaves. Here the price is usually higher, but the aroma is also more intense.
A substantial difference in the manufacture of both is given by the type of rennet. In Parmigiano only animal rennet can be used, while Grana Padano allows animal, vegetable, and bacterial rennet.
What is better Parmesan or Grana Padano?
The Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan and the Grana Padano have almost identical production. But the difference is found in the aging and feeding of the cows. These two characteristics make the quality of Parmesan cheese superior to that of Grana Padano. But both are great!
What is the most similar cheese to Parmesan?
Galmesano (Galicia). It almost has the same name and tastes just like Parmigiano. It is made just as it is made in the Alps with its Italian cousin: with cow’s milk, pressed, cooked pasta and a long maturation of 14 months.
What kind of cheese is Grana Padano?
Grana Padano cheese is a very hard and compact cooked cheese made mainly in the Italian provinces of Lombardy, Veneto and Emilia-Romagna.
What kind of cheese is Parmesan cheese?
Parmigiano Reggiano, or also known as Parmesan cheese, is an extraordinary Italian semi-fat cheese with a hard paste and a finely grained texture. It is made with raw milk from grass-fed cows and hay and is aged a minimum of 12 months.
What is another name for Parmesan cheese?
Known as the “king of cheeses”, Parmesan, also called Parmigiano Reggiano, was originally made in Benedictine and Cistercian monasteries a thousand years ago.
Why is it called Parmesan cheese?
Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan cheese is produced in Italy, in the regions of Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, Bologna, and Mantova, although history points to its origin in the province of Reggio Emilia, specifically in the monasteries and castles of the Diocese from Parma, hence its name.
