Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano are two of the most important and prestigious Italian DOP. Mantova is the only Italian province to accommodate both production areas, bordered by the river Po.
High quality endpoints of complex product chains governed by strict production standards, these cheeses are an Italian model for the dairy industry.
Grana Padano
Grana Padano is a DOP hard cheese produced with cow’s milk, matured for at least 9 months. The wheels are wide and low cylinders. The rind is marked “Grana Padano”. It is produced throughout the Po Valley, in an area that borders but does not overlap with that of Parmigiano Reggiano: almost all of Lombardy and part of Piedmont, Veneto Emilia Romagna and Trentino Alto Adige.
The dough is grainy and with a savory note that increases with the seasoning. The main notes are dried fruit and hay.
Parmigiano Reggiano
Parmigiano Reggiano DOP is an Italian cow’s milk cheese aged at least 12 months, produced in Northern Italy in the provinces of Reggio Emilia, Parma, Modena, and in some areas of the province of Bologna and Mantua. It looks like a big 40-kg cylinder shape, the whole rind is marked “Parmigiano Reggiano” The optimum curing can go from 24 months to 4 years. Its authenticity and quality is protected by a consortium that very strictly governs the cheese production methods in all its stages, from breeding cow up to the seasoning. Only the perfect forms can be marked Parmigiano Reggiano.
The paste is fine-grained, pale yellow. The aroma is intense and strong, the main notes are vegetable, hay scent and broth. The taste is fragrant and very tasty.
