Grana Padano
By: Anonymous

About

One of the oldest Italian cheeses and is a DOP (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, or Protected Designation of Origin) cheese. It is a grainy textured cheese, hence the name "grana", which means grain. It is one of the world's first hard cheeses and founded in 1135 near Milan by monks who used ripened cheese as a way to preserve milk. It is one of the most famous Italian cheeses and can be aged for up to 2 years. Younger grana padano is less crumbly and more mild and less sharp. It is aged in three types: grana padano (9-16 months), grana padrano oltre (aged over 16 months), and grana padrano riserva (over 20 months).