Hard Grating Cheeses

The hard grating cheeses, typified by Italian parmesan, are called grana cheeses, referring to their grainy textures. The best of all granas is called Parmigiano-Reggiano. It is the true parmesan, aged at least 2 years, and it is very expensive. It is imitated widely around the world, and the imitations vary from bad to very good. Another Italian grana is Romano. Italian Romanos are made with sheep’s milk, but American versions are usually made with cow’s milk. Romano is stronger and saltier than parmesan.