Grana padano or parmigiano reggiano

Most consumers know the two Italian classic cheeses Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano. Many people also know that both these cheese are classified as “Denominazione di Origine Protetta”, i.e. Protected Designation of Origin, and also know what this means in terms of product characteristics compared with similar but generic products. Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano possess a series of characteristics in common, but there is also a series of elements that differentiate and clearly distinguish them, to the point where both cheeses have obtained protected designations of origin and type, firstly at Italian level and later at European level, with Protected Designation of Origin certification. So, it is legitimate, and indeed natural, to be curious about exactly what is the distinction between the two cheeses, in appearance so similar and in reality so different as to be awarded two separate PDO//DOP identities. There are many occasions on which the main characteristics of these two cheeses get compared. However, all too often, and with increasingly frequency, there are various comparisons in circulation which attribute to Grana Padano DOP a series of inaccurate characteristics that have nothing to do with the regulations governing its production... And so we feel that we should finally clearly explain the real similarities and differences between Grana Padano DOP and Parmigiano Reggiano DOP.