Grana Padano PDO

PDO
Protected Denomination of Origin

DETAILS:
• Average weight of the wheel: 36 Kg
• Diameter: 35-45 cm
• Height: 18-25 cm
• Ingredients: milk, salt, rennet, lysozyme (protein from egg)

AGEING:
• from 10 to 16 months
• over 16 months
• Riserva Oro del Tempo over 20 months


NUTRITION FACTS (FOR 100G):
• Energy: 1654 kJ/398 kcal
• Fat: 29g
  of which satures: 18g
• Carbohydrate: 0g
  of which sugars: 0g
• Protein: 33g
• Salt: 1,5g

Grana Padano cheese is obtained from raw cow’s milk (17 litres per kg of product) coming from two daily milkings, partially skimmed by allowing the cream to rise naturally. The product is naturally aged by storing it at a temperature between 15 and 22°C for at least 9 months (table cheese) and up to 20 months and more (Riserva Oro del Tempo). It is produced throughout the year.

Its unmistakable taste dates back to the 11th century in the Po Valley, a territory reclaimed by Cistercian and Benedictine monks, creators and keepers of the authentic recipe, which has remained unchanged to this day. This hard cheese, which retains all the nutrients of milk when aged, was called caseus vetus (“old cheese” in Latin) but it was later called “grana” cheese due to its granular structure.
A fine food found on the tables of noblemen and royalty over different eras, Grana Padano also remained the principal food of peasants, especially during times of famine, thus functioning as a pillar of popular gastronomic tradition.
The manufacturing tradition of Grana Padano cheese has been passed down over centuries following the same methods which still today ensure the organoleptic properties and appearance that have made this product famous throughout the world.
The Consorzio Tutela Grana Padano (Consortium for the Protection of Grana Padano cheese) was established in 1954 and the cheese was awarded the Protected Designation of Origin status by the European Union in 1996. Today Grana Padano is the most widely sold PDO cheese in the world.

The production area for Grana Padano PDO extends throughout Northern Italy and generally coincides with the territories of the Po Valley region north of the Po river. It covers 5 regions from Piedmont to Veneto and down to Emilia Romagna.

Grana Padano Oro del Tempo represents the top quality of Grana Padano cheese. A quality bestowed by 20 months of ageing which provides a cheese that is extraordinarily rich, intense and fragrant.
Like all precious things, Grana Padano Oro del Tempo cheese is one of a kind: when it reaches the maturing department, and every week thereafter until the twentieth month, it is checked to see if it meets the highest quality standards. The Consortium experts select those wheels that deserve to become “Grana Padano Riserva 20 mesi” by flame branding them. Then there is another selection: only the forms that meet the particular characteristics of intense taste, fragrance and crumbly texture become Grana Padano Oro del Tempo, with certificate of origin.
Every pieces is distinguished by the unmistakable seal and label with the serial number of the dairy, the place of origin, the month of production and the number of the product. This is a guarantee of absolute quality for the distributor and a reassurance for today’s attentive consumer.
Besides entire wheels, the Grana Padano Oro del Tempo line also includes a wide variety of formats and packs, from vacuum packed to thermoformed, grated and cubes.
 
Pairings:
Its strong character, full of complex and varied aromas, makes it an exceptional cheese, dedicated to true cheese connoisseurs and gourmets.
Distinguished by a slight hint of sharpness and a good persistence, it’s a cheese with a great deal of personality to be savoured throughout a meal, from the appetizer to the first course, from the second course to dessert.
It is ideal for thickening risottos, accompanying salamis and sausages and combines very well with balsamic vinegar, honey, marmalades and mustards.
Grana Padano Oro del Tempo is especially good as an appetizer cut into slivers and combined with a Pinot Grigio or a fragrant Lugana.
Excellent for an end of meal tasting, paired with a "meditation” wine.

With its elegant, clean and intense yet delicate flavour, it’s excellent as an everyday table cheese. Grated, slivered or sliced, it can be used both as an ingredient in meat or vegetable fillings, quiches or in “au gratin” dishes and as a condiment over dry, fresh and stuffed pastas, rice dishes, risottos, soups and grain salads. Besides dressing up first courses and making them more savory, it’s a cheese that can be used for every meal, enhancing any dish without covering the other ingredients: delicious on carpaccio (thin sliced raw meat), on vegetables and in recipes with eggs; it also can be paired with fruit, marmalades and honey or in unusual desserts. If eaten as an appetizer, it combines well with still, slightly sparkling or sparkling white wines; if eaten during or after meals, a mature red wine is recommended.