(Tipico Lodigiano)
Granone Lodigiano is a historic Italian cheese from Lombardy, particularly the Lodi province. It dates back to around 1135 and is considered the precursor to all grana cheeses. The cheese is made from cow's milk obtained from two milkings: evening milk is skimmed, while morning milk is left whole.
The mixture includes a bit of saffron, giving it a yellow hue, and is dry-salted before aging for two to four years. Unlike Grana Padano, it incorporates whey, forming the characteristic "tear". The cheese is distinguished by its hard texture, slight green vein, and holes and gas bubbles formed during aging.
There are two versions: "maggengo" and "vernengo", differing by production season. Some forms of Granone Lodigiano weigh up to 50 kg, and those aged for four years are known as "stravecchione". Historically, production ceased in the 1970s, but similar cheeses are being revived.
The cheese has a cylindrical shape with a hard, salty flavor and is often presented in thin sheets of grana cheese called "raspadüra".
