I’ve long thought of Grana Padano as the thrifty person’s grating cheese, lacking the stature or complexity of Parmigiano Reggiano. Then a cheese colleague told me he thought Grana Padano deserves more love than it gets. “I use it in any situation where most people would use Parmigiano Reggiano,” said Brian Keyser, owner of Casellula Cheese & Wine Café in New York City. “It’s great with just about any crisp, dry white wine.”

That’s the nudge I needed to put assumptions aside and learn what really distinguishes these two workhorses of the Italian kitchen. Both Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano are PDO cheeses, so everything from the cows’ diet to the size of the wheel is controlled. But in several ways, the Parmigiano rules set the bar higher.

The Territory:

The legal production area for Grana Padano is large, extending across several regions of Northern Italy, from Turin to Ravenna.

Parmigiano Reggiano zone | Source: ONAF.it

Parmigiano Reggiano comes from a much smaller area centered around Parma, Modena and Bologna.

The Feed:
A significant difference here. The Parm cows must get most of their feed from forage—either fresh grass or hay made from it. Grana Padano cows are allowed to eat silage—fermented grass —and other foods, like sugar beets, that Parm cows can’t have. Silage is nutritious but problematic if the milk is destined for aged cheese. Bacteria from the silage can end up in the cheese, generating off flavors and producing gas that can cause the cheese to crack. The bacteria aren’t harmful to health, but they can make the cheese unsellable.

To prevent that, Grana Padano producers add lysozyme to the milk. This naturally occurring enzyme (egg whites have it) has antimicrobial properties. It inhibits the gas production that might crack the cheese.

What’s wrong with lysozyme? Nothing. It is GRAS. It is tasteless. People with egg allergy don’t react to the amount used in cheese. Lysozyme prevents a bad outcome, but many cheesemakers would rather have milk that doesn’t need it. That’s why regulations for many Swiss cheeses prohibit silage.

The Milk:
Raw milk for both, but the Grana milk is a bit leaner. For Parmigiano Reggiano, the evening milk is skimmed, then mixed with the next morning’s whole milk. For Grana Padano, the milk can come from one milking or more but the whole batch will be partly skimmed after the cream rises. Another difference: The milk for Parmigiano Reggiano has to reach the creamery within 2 hours after milking. Grana Padano rules are more lenient, requiring milk collected within 24 hours.

The Process:
Both require copper kettles, whey starter and animal rennet, and the method is largely the same.

The Aging:
A minimum of 9 months for Grana Padano, 12 months for Parmigiano Reggiano.

The Price:
Not as big a spread as I thought, especially if you shop around. Grana Padano (12-month) is $14 a pound on igourmet, $20 a pound for 24-month. Most of the Parmigiano Reggiano sold online is 24-month and ranges from $20 a pound (DiBruno Bros) to $57.50 a pound for the sought-after Parm from Giorgio Cravero (Zingerman’s).

The Taste:
When young, Grana Padano can be ordinary, with faint aroma and a rubbery texture. But I’ve had 18-month Grana Padano that I would happily put on a cheese board. At its best, it has a sweet aroma, suggesting cooked milk and lightly browned butter, and a crumbly, granular, slightly waxy texture similar to Parmigiano Reggiano’s. It can be a satisfying table cheese, although I’ve never tasted a Grana Padano that had the nuttiness, depth and mouthfilling complexity of good Parmigiano Reggiano.

Bottom line:
You don’t have to choose. If you’re budget conscious, consider using Grana Padano for cooking and using the savings on fine Parmigiano Reggiano for the cheese board.