 rana Padano was created at the beginning of the millennium by the Cistercian monks of Chiaravalle who used ripened cheese as a way of preserving surplus milk. Between 1150 and 1200 a large number of cheese-makers became engaged in the production of Grana Padano, and by 1477 it was held to be the most famous cheese of Italy. This sweet and savoury cheese became a particular favourite of the people of Lombardy and its production spread throughout the region. As it lasts a long time without spoiling, Grana Padano could also be sold to outlying markets. Historical documents describe its progressive diffusion. The name Grana was popularly bestowed upon the cheese because of its "grainy" consistency which was markedly different from the other cheeses known until then. It began to appear with greater frequency as an ingredient in the foods of aristocrats and commoners alike. Grana Padano is a cylindrical, cooked, semi-fat hard cheese which is matured slowly. It may be used as a table cheese or for grating. A golden oily rind encases a white or straw-coloured fine-grained cheese with crumbly fissures radiating outwards from the centre. The taste is fragrant and delicate, and the cheese preserves its integrity for one or two years. Grana Padano is produced throughout the regions of Piedmont, Lombardy and Veneto, and in the provinces of Trento, Bologna, Ferrara, Forlì, Piacenza and Ravenna.
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