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Grana Padano Cheese

Can Eat 0

Vegetarian

Taste Profile

It has a mild sweet and nutty flavour. As it matures, it develops a sharp fruitiness with a pleasantly salty finish.

Usage Tips

  1. Store grana padano cheese in fridge kept at temperature around 4° C (39° F).
  2. To prevent it from drying, wrap it in a cotton or hemp cloth.
  3. Grana padano cheese can be served as a snack. It can be paired with dried fruits, sliced apples or a drizzle of honey.
  4. For savoury snack, it can be paired with olives, walnuts or cured meat. It can be grated over dishes like pizza and pasta.
  5. Aged grana padano cheese can be added to soups, sauces and risottos.

Common names and forms

  1. Grana Podana cheese

Description

Grana Padano Cheese is a slow-ripened, semi-fat cheese prepared from unpasteurized cow's milk. It originated in the Po River Valley in Northerneastern Italy and can be made within this certain region only. Those regions are enormous ranging from Lombardy on the northwest coast to the Veneto on the northeast coast. Grana means “grainy” in Italian that reflects its fine granular texture, resulting from amino acid crystals. The demonym "Padano" refers to cheese from Padania. It has hard, crumbly, slightly grainy texture with thin, pale yellow rind covering fragrant, dry, flaking interior. The rind becomes firm, thick and dark to natural golden-yellow colour as it matures. The milk used for the preparation of grana padano cheese is skimmed through a natural creaming process. The cheese takes about 8-20 months to age. It is manufactured in cylindrical wheels that are 35 to 45 cm in diameter, and 15 to 18 cm in height. It is considered as a good melting cheese for cooking.

Health benefits

  • Develops strong bones: Grana Padano cheese contains good amount of essential mineral salts like phosphorus, zinc, copper and most importantly, calcium that helps in the development of strong bones.(1)
  • Good source of protein: It contains a high concentration of proteins such as Lysine, Phenylalanine, Leucine, and Tyrosine. Though in a concentrated form, but it provides the same protein input as milk.(1)
  • Carbohydrate and lactose-free: Because of the characteristics of its production and long ageing period, it is completely carbohydrate free and lactose-free which makes it suitable for people who suffer from lactose intolerance.(1)
  • Reduce blood pressure level: Research even state that Grana Padano cheese contains two compounds, isoleucine-proline-proline (IPP) and valine-proline-proline (VPP). These compounds can relax blood vessels that can lead to lower blood pressure levels.(2)

Selection Guide

Look for Grana Padano cheese with hard, gritty texture. Grana padano cheese is available at different ripening stages: Grana Padano (9 to 16 months), Grana Padano oltre 16 mesi (over 16 months) and Grana Padano Riserva (over 20 months). Go for cheese which is atleast 12 months aged for a good taste. Also, check for the "Use-by" date on the packaging of the cheese.

Resource & Links

(1) https://www.granapadano.it/en-ww/nutritional-properties.aspx

(2) https://www.ba-bamail.com/content.aspx?emailid=24082

- Disclaimer
"Information here is provided for discussion and educational purposes only. It is not intended as medical advice or product or ingredient review/rating. The information may not apply to you and before you use or take any action, you should contact the manufacturer, seller, medical, dietary, fitness or other professional. If you utilize any information provided here, you do so at your own risk and you waive any right against Culinary Communications Private Limited, its affiliates, officers, directors, employees or representatives.”