3 Value Cheeses: Piave PDO, Grana Padano PDO and Pecorino Romano PDO

Parmigiano-Reggiano is on everyone’s short list of the world’s greatest cheeses. It is a fantastic cheese with a rich history and a meticulous set of standards that result in the quality and consistency that make it one of Italy’s great exports--right up there with fine leather goods and high-powered sports cars. But it is also part of a family of Italian cheeses, and its family members sometimes live in its shadow. Piave, Grana Padano, and Pecorino Romano are the cousins we are most likely to encounter in the U.S., and for the most part, they each are found at a lower price point than Parm-Regg. 

Piave PDO

Piave PDO is a hard cow’s milk cheese named after the Piave River. A Denominazione di Origine Protetta (or DOP) cheese, it is produced in the Veneto region. Piave is made in wheels of 6 to 7 kilos (about 15 lbs.), and sold in Italy at five different ages. In the U.S. we are most likely to encounter Piave Vecchio (aged 6 months) and the two other older versions.  It has a bright flavor that is reflected in the bright colored label. Like other cheeses of the Grana family it is   perfect for grating, shaving, or serving in chunks. Because of its smaller size, in comparison to Parmigiano, Piave is also great for making Pasta Alla Ruota, where the wheel is hollowed, and the “guts” of the wheel is tossed with hot fresh pasta and perhaps a couple of other ingredients, right in the hollowed-out wheel, and served immediately.

Grana Padano PDO

Grana Padano PDO is said to be the most heavily produced of any name protected cheese in Europe. It is made from raw cow’s milk by 150 different producers in several regions linked by the Po River, Grana is so much like Parm Reggiano that comparisons are inevitable. In terms of texture and functionality, there is little difference, at least when you are buying the older versions (aged 16-20 months) of the PDO cheese. But if you ask a group of cheese lovers unaffiliated with either cheese, most of them would say that Grana’s flavors are bit less complex than those found in Parm. Personally, I find the flavor leans more toward savory than that of Parm-Reggiano. It also seems to lack a certain pineapple fruit note I find in the flavor and aroma of Parm. Some experts advise using Grana for cooking and Parm when added as a fresh grated topping. Grana can be sold as young as six months, which is part of the reason it can be less expensive than Parm, which is typically aged 18-24 months. 

Pecorino Romano PDO

Pecorino Romano PDO is starkly different from Parm-Reggiano in that it is made from sheep’s milk rather than cow’s milk. A PDO was granted in 1996, but the cheese is thought to date back to era of the Roman Empire. Although it is named for its Roman roots, most Pecorino Romano is now made on the island of Sardinia.

The first half of the name is simply an indication that it is made from sheep’s milk, so there are many other pecorinos in Italy that are largely different from one another. Romano is a hard cheese made in large (49-71 lb.) wheels and aged to differing degrees. In the U.S., these will be well aged-cheeses intended for grating. The flavor is strong and salty, but delicious in my opinion.  Sheep milk is high in fat, and this might be part of the reason a good Pecorino sometimes weeps liquid milk fat when the wheel is cut. I love Pecorino Romano on pizza, and for cooking, it can stand in for some of the salt in a recipe. U.S. cheeses named Romano are mostly made from cow’s milk and usually lack the flavor complexity of Pecorino Romano.