Grana is a family of hard, mature cheese from Italy with a granular texture, often used for grating. Grana cheeses are typically made in the form of large wheels. The structure is often described as crystalline, and the wheels are divided by being split with a fairly blunt almond-shaped knife designed for the purpose, rather than being sliced, cut or sawn. Within the European Union the term grana is legally protected by Grana Padano protected designation of origin (PDO); only Grana Padano may be sold using the term in EU countries.
The two best-known examples of grana-type cheeses are Parmesan and Grana Padano. The two cheeses are broadly similar, with the latter being less sharp, crumbly and grainy.
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