What is Grana Padano?
{{no sources|date=December 2020}} [[File:Grana Padano.jpg|thumb|right|A slice of Grana Padano from an Italian supermarket]] '''Grana Padano''' is a type of hard [[cheese]]. It is similar to [[parmesan cheese]]. The name comes from the noun ''grana'' (‘grain’), which refers to the distinctively grainy texture of the cheese, and the adjective ''Padano'', which refers to the river [[Po River|Po]]. Grana Padano was created by the [[Cistercian]] monks of [[Chiaravalle]]. They used ripened cheese as a way of preserving extra milk. By the year 1477, it was regarded as one of the most famous cheeses of Italy. Today, this product is made in the regions of [[Piedmont]], [[Lombardy]] and [[Veneto]], and in the province of [[Trento]]. Like [[Parmigiano Reggiano]], Grana Padano is a semi-fat hard cheese which is cooked and ripened slowly (for up to 18 months). It is produced by curdling the [[milk]] of grass-fed [[cow]]s. The cows are milked twice a day, the milk is left to stand, and then partially creamed. It is produced all year round and the quality can vary seasonally as well as by year. A wheel of Grana Padano is cylindrical, with slightly convex or almost straight sides and flat faces. The rind, which is thin, is white or straw yellow. Grana Padano cheese has been produced since the [[12th century]], and production and quality are now overseen by the Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano. == Other websites == *[http://www.granapadano.com/ing/consortium/index.htm Consorzio per la Tutela del Formaggio Grana Padano] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051028100536/http://www.granapadano.com/ing/consortium/index.htm |date=2005-10-28 }} {{in lang|en}} *Zeppa, Giuseppe ''[http://dairyscience.info/htm/grana.asp GRANA PADANO a cheese from Piedmont]'' {{in lang|en}} *[http://www.milkonline.com/fiera/cheese/disciplinari/Grana%20Padano.htm ''Disciplinare di produzione''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070701162257/http://www.milkonline.com/fiera/cheese/disciplinari/Grana%20Padano.htm