Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano: our comparison

Two centuries-old cheeses whose differences and history can be discovered

Ubiquitous on the tables of the North, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano stand out among the most used dairy products in our kitchen, when they are not tasted pure after a good oxygenation: to better savor their organoleptic characteristics, in fact, it is necessary to leave them out of the fridge for at least an hour, preparing a delicious accompaniment while waiting.

Both cheeses have had the PDO label for decades, but they have a much longer history behind them, with medieval roots.

The points in common between the two Italian products are truly numerous: lactose-free, they have almost the same nutritional properties in terms of proteins and mineral salts, properties derived from raw processing that follows the same ancient phases.

So what makes them two distinct products?

The origins

There was a time when Parmigiano Reggiano bore a double name, coined independently of the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia.

The latter, in particular, called its typical cheese “Grana Reggiano”, using the generic term “grana” to indicate its hard and grainy texture. Only in the 1930s did the two denominations come together and the wording “C.G.T. Parmigiano Reggiano” appeared for the first time, where the “G” of the acronym still stands for “Grana”.

Grana Padano, on the other hand, was born as “caseus vetus”, or as “aged cheese”: it was the cultured monks of the Abbey of Chiaravalle who referred to the product with the two Latin terms, but the people, less inclined to use a language far from everyday speech, simply baptized that novelty “Grana”, associating the word that described its consistency with the toponyms of the places where it was produced ( for example, Grana Lodigiano).
Thus, the first mentions of cheese brought together (again) Grana and the city of

Parma.

The Stresa Convention

To deal with the confusion in the nomenclature of cheeses and assign distinct typicalities to products with specific characteristics, an international meeting was held in June 1951 to establish official regulations, to be implemented in the individual states adhering to the Convention.

In Italy, this was done in 1954, with minor regulatory adjustments that allowed some regional adaptations, especially for the denomination of Grana (for the city of Trento, Trentingrana).
The first distinction between Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano, therefore, is decided by the production area, which is much smaller in the case of Parmigiano (four provinces

against 32 for Grana par excellence).

But does it all really come down to a question of borders?

A few more differences

Although the geographical issue is identifying, it is not the only one to keep in mind: in fact, remember that on average the cost per kilo of Parmigiano Reggiano exceeds that of Grana by about 5€, and not only because of the different production volumes, physiologically higher for Grana Padano.

What has an impact on the prices of the forms is also the different duration of maturation, the first stage of which takes place after the first 9 months for Grana, while the first marking for Parmesan cheese is applied only when the twelfth month is reached.
The maturation of Parmesan cheese continues indefinitely (there has even been a record form, from 18 years of aging!)

, with an average consumption aimed at the product aged for 24 months, where Grana is most often consumed at 15 months: not surprisingly, after 20 months, Grana Padano is marked with fire as a “Reserve”.

The most technical peculiarities

In general, the consumer can keep in mind that to produce Parmigiano Reggiano it is necessary to comply with a more stringent specification, which allows the producer very little room for maneuver.

The diet of the cows must be based exclusively on hay and grass from the place of production, without the use of silage grains; their milk must be collected twice a day and coagulated with the serum naturally obtained from the previous day; once the seasoned form is obtained, then, the marks are removed if it does not meet the quality standards selected by the experts (which happens, in reality, also for Grana Padano).

Despite these differences, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano are both excellent PDO products, different twins who deserve their worldwide fame: choosing to have one on the table rather than the other will remain a matter of personal preference.

Chiara Tomasella