The "Grana Padano DOP" cheese is a hard cheese produced with raw cow's milk. This cheese's cooked curd undergoes a slow ripening period, seemed to exist already around the year 1,000 due to the Cistercen and Benedictine monks who used to conserve the leftover milk in the form of cheese which, unlike the other cheeses they produced, were more consistent and could be conserved for longer periods.
These cheeses, according to the ripening periods and the production zones, were classified under four types of Grana Padano:
- Grana Padan DOP (minimum ripening of nine months);
- Gran DOP over 16 mths (matured for more than 16 mths.);
- Grana Padan DOP Reserve beyond 20 months (matured for at least 20 mths.);
-Grana Padao DOP Trentingrana (produced in the autonomous province of Trent).
The «Grana Padano» DOP production zone coincides mostly with the Padan Plains region, that is, the geographic area that is rich in waters, among the most fertile of the world and the most suitable to the production of fodder, especially corn, also due to the specific microclimate of the zone. Precisely the great abundance of corn which is a fundamental element in nurturing the bovine livestock and the consequential production of milk, pushed the rural population, particularly the dairy people to make long conservation cheese.
Production Area
All over Piedmont
Characteristics
Physical characteristics
- Diameter:
- from 35 cm to 45 cm
- Edge:
- Slightly convex or almost straight
- Form:
- Cylindrical
- Height of a whole cheese:
- from 18 cm to 25 cm, with variations in relation to technical production conditions
- Top:
- Sides, slightly fringed
- Weight:
- from 24 kg to 40 kg
Nutritional characteristics
- Calcium:
- 1165 mg per 100 g of product
- Digestibility:
- Very easy to digest, especially suitable to newborns, sports lovers, elderly, pregnant women and when breastfeeding due to the excellent ratio of energy value to
quality and quantity of nutrients contained
- Energy value:
- Inferior to that of many foodstuffs that give less nutrients
- Fat:
- 28 g per 100 g of product
- Protein substances:
- 33 g per 100 g of product
Sensory and organoleptic characteristics
- Aroma:
- fragrant and delicate
- Body:
- hard, with finely grained structure, radial grain that breaks away in slivers and hardly noticeable holes
- Color of crust:
- dark or natural golden yellow
- Color of pasta:
- white or straw yellow
- Crust:
- hard and smooth, with thickness of 4-8 mm
How it is made
Produced with raw and partially skimmed milk from cows that were fed with green or conserved fodders, and milked twice a day. The processing of milk of a single milk drawing is allowed, or the mixing of milk drawn on two different occasions is also allowed.
The milk is placed in the upturned bell heating containers that are either in copper or lined with copper. Then the coagulation is obtained with calf rennet and broken into fine grains and cooked until an elastic cheese dough is achieved.
The curd remains submerged in the whey in the heater up to a maximum of 70 minutes and then put into specific cheese cloths for at least 48 hours. In this phase the product's trademark is impressed.
Salting is done through brine for a period of 14 to 30 days and natural ripening takes place for not less than nine months after processing.
Fire branding is then done, or the mark of origin is cancelled, should the product not respond to the set product specifications.
The product is sold as whole pieces of cheese or in portions, and in prepacked or grated form.
The grating process must be done in the factory and the packing must be immediate, without treatments and addition of other substances .
Interesting features
Grana Padano DOP is kept in the least cold compartment of the fridge protected by a humid cotton cloth, or with cling film, separate from all the other cheeses to avoid overlapping aromas and flavours.
We recommend removing it from the fridge at least an hour before serving. Unwrap and let it breathe so as to be able to enjoy to the fullest its fragrance and flavour, which also depends on which part in the paste the portion of the cheese comes from: more or less near the rind.
We suggest portioning out the Grana Padano DOP by chipping off pieces with the appropriate almond shaped knife.
The various types of Grana Padano are suitable for different types of uses: for cooking: Grana Padano DOP; for stuffing: Grana Padano DOP aged 16 months; grated and for wine tasting: Grana Padano DOP Riserve.
It should never be served on a metal plate.
They are produced the whole year round.
Labelling
The cold stamping of the marks of origin on the whole cheese during the molding process consists of a series of diamond-shaped designs, the inner parts of which contain the words «Grana» and «Padano», and bear the relevant identification of the dairy producer and the specification of the month and year of production.
Only the Grana Padano DOP produced in the autonomous Province of Trent are allowed to use the specific brand strips provided for the Trentingrana type of cheese, on the condition that the production of this cheese utilised milk taken from cows fed with fodder that have excluded ensiled fodder of all types for the whole year. These band strips consist of a line of diamond-shaped figures crossed by the word «Trentino» and at the center of the stylised outlines of mountains, the word «Trentino» is written on the front and back.
The designation of origin strips are integrated with the application of a casein plate bearing the word «Grana Padano», the year of production and an alphanumerical code that unmistakably identifies each single mold of cheese.
The Grana Padano» is aged for at least 20 months from the time of cheese molding in the production zone and can be identified as 'Riserva'. In order for the products to fall under the «Grana Padano» Riserva category, they must be ratified by a second heat-stamped mark, applied on the outer edge of the whole cheeses, as requested by the operators. The same procedure is foreseen for the application of the DOP mark. The mark in question consists of a circle, crossed in the center with the word «Riserva». Inside the upper semicircle the word «Oltre» appears along with the number «20», while in the lower semicircle the word «Mesi» appears.
With regard to the packed product, there are the following ulterior product categories: the «Grana Padano» beyond 16 Months and the «Grana Padano» Riserva. For the packages containing cheese belonging to the category «Grana Padano» Oltre 16 Mesi, the logo Grana Padano is completed by the specification «Oltre 16 Mesi», arranged on a single line between two parallel lines. The pack containing cheese categorised as «Grana Padano» Riserva, will also have the reproduction of the heat- stamped Riserva mark, besides the Grana Padano logo.
Grana Padano DOP cheese that makes use of the Protected Origin Designation and the identification may be utilised only by the entities allowed to carry out the packaging, with permit issued by the Protection Consortium.
Permits for prepacking activities are not required only for the "pre-wrapped" products, that is, those prepared at the sales outlet.
European community registration
Registration EU Reg. EC 1107 of 12/06/1996
GUCE L148 21.06.1996
