Grana Padano and Parmigiano Reggiano: Many people are questioning the sensory, gustatory and territorial differences of the two most famous aged Italian cheeses. How are they similar and how do they differ? How do you distinguish between the two cheeses by taste? These questions arise especially for those who are passionate about Italian cuisine and, in particular, the Emilian culinary tradition. For example, which one is better to use on lasagna or risotto?

Grana Padano is typically lower in price than Parmigiano Reggiano, due to specific stages of processing that give Parmigiano Reggiano a more complex flavor, rich in saltiness and herbaceous notes, more difficult to perceive in Grana Padano, which is instead tendentially more soft and buttery on the palate. Both were born in monasteries in the Middle Ages and have become typical and very popular cheeses throughout northern Italy.

Grana Padano is appreciated and used mainly in Lombardy, Piedmont, Veneto and Trentino Alto Adige, while Parmigiano Reggiano has a more concentrated and massive use in Emilia Romagna. The organoleptic characteristics of the two cheeses are largely similar, in fact, both have obtained two distinct DOP, but upon closer examination, there are some differences that make them suitable for different dishes and uses.

But all of this is not enough to declare the real organoleptic and gustatory differences of the two cheeses. It is necessary to taste them to focus on their flavors and evaluate their flavor in the Emilian dishes that best match these two cheeses. 

Exe Restaurant, the restaurant at the Executive spa Hotel on the hills of Fiorano Modenese, will be able to let you taste the flavors and tastes of the Modenese territory, and you will be the one to decide which of the two cheeses deserves to be the favorite.