Grana (cheese)

Grana is a type of hard, mature cheese from Italy with a granular texture, often used for grating.

The structure is often described as crystalline, and the wheels are divided by being split with a fairly blunt almond-shaped knife designed for the purpose, rather than being sliced, cut or sawn.

The main difference between the two is that cows producing Parmesan eat only grass and cereals—no silage, no preservatives, and no antibiotics.

Cows that have been treated with antibiotics are suspended from production of Parmesan and Grana Padano.

Silage is a fermented forage that requires the addition of a natural preservative (lysozyme) to Grana Padano.