Grana Padano PDO is a hard cooked cheese that undergoes a slow ripening process. It is produced from raw cow’s milk originating from cows that are milked no more than twice a day, and which are fed with green or preserved fodder from the production area.
The production area of Grana Padano PDO is within the territory of the provinces of Alessandria, Asti, Biella, Cuneo, Novara, Turin, Verbania-Cusio-Ossola and Vercelli in the Piedmont region; within the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia, Como, Cremona, Lecco, Lodi, Mantua (left of the River Po), Milan, Monza, Pavia, Sondrio and Varese in the Lombardy region; within the Province of Trento, as well as the municipal areas of Anterivo, Lauregno, Proves, Senale-S. Felice and Trodena in the Province of Bolzano, in the Trentino-Alto Adige region; within the provinces of Padua, Rovigo, Treviso, Venice, Verona and Vicenza in the Veneto region; in the Province of Bologna (right of the River Reno), Ferrara, Forlì, Cesena, Piacenza, Ravenna and Rimini in the Emilia-Romagna region.
History
The origins of Grana Padano PDO date back around 1000 A.D., when the Cistercian monks experimented with hard cheese production, caseus vetus (later named grana). At the end of the XI century, this cheese was already an established product with its own commercial network.
Grana Padano PDO meets the needs of a balanced and modern diet. Its easy digestibility and the excellent relationship between energetic value, quality and quantity of nutrients, makes this cheese particularly indicated for newborns, sportspersons, the elderly and pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Grana Padano PDO is cylindrical and has a thick smooth rind with a dark to natural golden-yellow colour. The cheese is fine-grained and ranges from white to straw yellow in colour, with barely visible eyes. The aroma is fragrant and it has a delicate flavour.
The product is marketed in the following typologies: Grana Padano PDO; Grana Padano PDO Over 16 Months; Grana Padano PDO Riserva Over 20 Months; Grana Padano PDO Trentingrana. The brand mark must appear on all packets of grated and portioned cheese. Packaging must take place in the same production area.
Grana Padano PDO is used either as a table cheese or as an ingredient in traditional Italian dishes, depending on how mature it is. It should be conserved in the least cold compartment of the fridge, wrapped in a moist cloth or plastic wrap.
PDO (Protected Designation of Origin)(ES). Protected designation of origińe (PDO) stands for a product for which the principal steps for production are done following a well-established technique within the same geographical area, which gives the product its characteristics. Year of registration 1996
No
No
Yes
384 - 402 kcal per 100 gr.
33 - 35.75 gr. per 100 gr.
25.83 - 30 gr. per 100 gr.
32 %
3.22 gr. per 100 gr.
0.6 - 1.4 gr. per 100 gr.
16.41 - 17.7 gr. per 100 gr.
109 mg. per 100 gr.
32 gr. per 100 gr.
6.04 gr. per 100 gr.
1165 mg. ( + 32% )*
120 mg. ( + 36% )*
44 - 63 mg. ( + 53% )*
591 - 700 mg. ( – 20% )*
694 mg. ( + 39% )*
50 mcg. ( – 29% )*
0.1 mg. ( – 90% )*
0.02 mg. ( – 80% )*
12 mcg. ( – 23% )*
11 mg. ( + 175% )*
201 - 224 mcg. ( – 26% )*
20 mcg. ( – 50% )*
0.332 - 0.36 mg. ( + 15% )*
0.1 - 0.27 mg. per 100 gr.
15.4 mg. per 100 gr.
0.453 mg. per 100 gr.
0.091 mg. ( – 9% )*
7 mcg. ( – 63% )*
1.2 mcg. ( – 14% )*
0.5 mcg.
0.22 mg. ( – 56% )*
*(the difference from the average value)
6,3 - Individual visits per month (average)
171 - All individual visits
26 08 2016 - Date of publication of this article
01 01 2017 - Date of last edit
