The Great Cheeses of Italy Unite

After making them for 1,000 years, the Italians have perfected two premier hard, aged cow’s milk cheeses from Northern Italy—Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. Now the cheeses are teaming up to show America how distinctive they are. From April 2010 through June 2011, leading supermarket chains, including Costco, Whole Foods Market and Wegman’s, will conduct free tastings, demos and seminars in 1,500 stores—offering a whopping 30,000+ sampling opportunities where you can learn the special characteristics of these high-quality cheeses, both stamped with the EU Protected Designation of Origin PDO status.

To kickstart your education, we’ve gathered some information about these delicious cheeses. Both have been under production for centuries, and are produced according to strict standards in controlled cheesemaking districts supervised by their respective Consortia. Parmigiano Reggiano can only be produced within the provinces of Parma, Reggio Emilia and Modena, Bologna to the west of the Reno River and Mantua to the east of the Po River. It is produced from the partially skimmed milk of grass-fed cows through a handmade process free of additives and preservatives. After a minimum of 12 months of aging, it is inspected and stamped with the Consortium’s certification mark. Then it is returned to the aging facility where it achieves 24 or more months. Rich in protein and calcium, Parmigiano Reggiano has a slightly crystalline texture and melts on the tongue into buttery and fruity notes. It is used to enhance the flavor of soups, grated over pastas, shaved onto main dishes and served in chunks with fresh and dried fruits and aperitifs
 
Grana Padano is produced in five different Italian regions: Piedmont, Lombardy, Emilia-Romagna (in Piacenza province only), the Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige (exclusively in the Trento province). It is made from local, raw, partially skimmed milk and aged from 9 to 24 months and up. Only the cheese matching all the strict quality standards of the Consortium are sealed with the fire brand “Grana Padano”, visible on the crust of each wheel. Lower in fat and lactose-free, with a sweet, nutty taste, Grana Padano has a characteristic grainy consistency (“grana” means grainy in Italian) that increases along with the aging process. It can be grated over pasta, served as an antipasto or incorporated into recipes or simply enjoyed in chunks as part of a meal.—Denise Shoukas

Denise Shoukas is a regular foodspring.com contributor and is the author of foodspring’s food forager blog.

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