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EveryCheese

Hard and grating cheeses

Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano and Sbrinz: long-aged, crystalline and grated.

A wedge: a cut from a wheel, with the paste on the cut faces and the rind along the back. Hard cheeses are sold like this.

Hard cheeses are the long-aged, low-moisture wheels made to be grated or broken into shards. Parmigiano Reggiano, Grana Padano, Pecorino Romano, Sbrinz and kefalotyri are the best known. Their curd is cut very fine and cooked, then pressed and aged for a year or more, until the paste is crumbly, granular and full of crystals. A little goes a long way, and many kitchens treat them as a seasoning as much as a cheese.

Grana and the long age

Grana means grain, after the granular texture of Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano. Both are made from cow's milk in large copper vats, cut into rice-sized grains, cooked and moulded into wheels of around 40 kilograms. Parmigiano Reggiano must age at least 12 months, with 24 and 36 months common, and comes from a defined area around Parma, Reggio Emilia, Modena, part of Bologna and part of Mantua. Its rind is marked with dotted lettering that names the cheese, the dairy and the month it was made.

Sheep and goat

Pecorino Romano, linked by tradition to the rations of Roman soldiers, is a salty sheep's milk cheese now made mostly in Sardinia, and it is the cheese of cacio e pepe. Greece's kefalotyri, Switzerland's Sbrinz, old Dutch Gouda and aged Manchego play similar roles in their own kitchens. In Latin America, aged cotija is grated over Mexican dishes, and Argentina's reggianito is a small grana-style wheel first made by Italian migrants.

Crystals and the rind

The crunch in an old hard cheese comes from crystals of tyrosine, an amino acid, and in some cheeses calcium lactate, which form as the proteins break down. They are a sign of age, not of salt. The rinds of grana cheeses are edible but very hard: Italian cooks drop them into minestrone and bean soups, where they soften and season the broth. Hard cheeses are low in moisture, so they keep for a long time once cut.

Worth knowing

  • Parmigiano Reggiano: Italy's great grana, aged at least a year
  • Grana Padano: Grana of the Po valley, made over a wider area
  • Pecorino Romano: Salty sheep's milk grating cheese
  • Sbrinz: Hard Swiss cheese of central Switzerland
  • Kefalotyri: Hard Greek sheep's and goat's milk cheese
  • Cotija: Mexican cheese, crumbled young and grated aged
  • Reggianito: Argentina's small grana-style wheel

Good to know

  • Keep hard cheese in paper or a cheese bag; it lasts for weeks once cut.
  • Break Parmigiano into chunks with a short, almond-shaped knife rather than slicing it.
  • Grate it just before using, since ready-grated cheese loses its aroma.
  • Save the rinds in the freezer for soups and stocks.

Sources and further reading

About this page

Original text by the EveryCheese desk, written with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Customs are described as tradition, not as advice. If we have something wrong, tell us.

Hard on EveryCheese

The cheeses written up so far, best known first.

MilkCowGoatSheepBuffaloYakCamelMixedOther
FlavourMilky and freshButtery and creamyNuttySweet and caramelTangy and lacticSaltySharp and tangy-agedSavoury and brothyEarthy and cellarMushroomyPungent and funkySmokyHerbal and grassyPiquant and spicy
🇮🇹 Italy and 3 moreParmesanParmigiano Reggiano A hard, granular cow's-milk cheese aged at least a year in northern Italy.Cow · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇪 IrelandCoolea A wax-rinded cow's milk cheese from County Cork with sweet, caramelly notes.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇱 NetherlandsRoomano An aged hard cow's-milk cheese from Friesland with less butterfat than standard Gouda.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇮🇪 IrelandWicklow Farmhouse Cheese A range of handmade cow's milk cheeses from Arklow, Ireland, spanning soft bries to hard cheddars.Cow · Bloomy rind · Nutty 🇮🇪 IrelandSt Tola Handmade goat's milk cheese from Inagh, County Clare, ranging from fresh logs to aged wheels.Goat · Fresh · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreMarble cheese A processed cow's milk cheese with distinct colored marbling patterns.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇪 IrelandClonmore A hard, waxed-rind goat's milk cheese from County Cork, IrelandGoat · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇪🇸 SpainPata de mulo cheese A tubular, hard ewe's-milk cheese from Spain, shaped like a mule's leg.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇵🇰 Pakistan and 1 moreKadchgall A hard, sweet and salty cylindrical cheese made from sheep or camel milk by Pashtun communities.Sheep · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇳🇵 NepalFlower of Rajya A firm yak's-milk cheese from Nepal, cured in red salt and wrapped in scarves.Yak · Hard 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 2 moreGruyère A hard, pressed Swiss cheese made from raw cow's milk, aged for several months.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇫🇷 France and 2 moreBlue cheese A family of cheeses defined by blue-green mold veins created through deliberate inoculation and piercing.Cow · Semi-soft · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino A family of Italian hard sheep's-milk cheeses with protected status.Sheep · Hard · Buttery and creamy 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandAppenzeller A hard, washed-rind cow's-milk cheese from northeast Switzerland with a herbal brine rind.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 ItalyGrana Padano A hard, grainy Italian cow's-milk cheese aged for at least nine months in the Po Valley.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇫🇷 France and 1 moreMimolette A bright orange cow's-milk cheese from northern France, aged with mites for a nutty flavor.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇮🇹 Italy and 4 moreCaciocavallo A stretched-curd cheese from southern Italy shaped like a teardrop and aged to develop a hard rind.Cow · Stretched curd · Nutty 🇨🇭 Switzerland and 1 moreSbrinz A very hard, full-fat cow's-milk cheese from Central Switzerland aged for over two years.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 Italy and 1 morePecorino Romano A hard, salty sheep's-milk cheese from Italy, aged at least five months and protected by EU law.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇮🇹 Italy and 2 moreAsiago A pressed cow's milk cheese from the Veneto plateau, sold fresh or aged.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel 🇬🇧 United Kingdom and 1 moreCheshire A dense, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from the English county of Cheshire.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomCaerphilly A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from South Wales with a mild lemony taste.Cow · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇷 Greece and 1 moreKefalotyriκεφαλοτύρι A hard, salty Greek cheese made from sheep or goat milk, aged for grating or frying.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇵🇹 PortugalSão Jorge CheeseQueijo São Jorge A hard cow's-milk cheese from the Azores with a spicy aroma and protected origin status.Cow · Semi-hard · Savoury and brothy 🇪🇸 SpainIdiazabalIdiazabal gazta A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from the Basque Country with a dark rind and optional smoke.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇳🇵 Nepal and 2 moreChhurpiछुर्पी A smoked yak and cow milk cheese from the Himalayas, available in soft or hard forms.Yak · Smoked · Tangy and lactic 🇬🇧 United KingdomRed Leicester A hard, crumbly cow's-milk cheese from England, aged for months and coloured with annatto.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇧🇦 Bosnia and HerzegovinaLivno cheeseLivanjski sir / Ливањски сир A hard cow and sheep milk cheese from Bosnia aged for two monthsMixed · Hard · Tangy and lactic 🇸🇪 SwedenVästerbottenVästerbottensost A hard, salty Swedish cow's milk cheese aged at least a year in VästerbottenCow · Hard · Salty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandSchabziger A hard, green whey cheese from Switzerland flavored with blue fenugreek.Cow · Hard · Herbal and grassy 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino Sardoberveghinu sardu A hard, pressed sheep's milk cheese from Sardinia with two distinct age profiles.Sheep · Hard · Sharp and tangy-aged 🇬🇷 GreeceGravieraγραβιέρα A hard Greek cheese made from sheep or cow milk, aged for months and marked with a crisscross rind.Sheep · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇭🇷 CroatiaPag cheesePaški sir A hard sheep's-milk cheese from Croatia's Pag island, aged up to eighteen months.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇬🇧 United KingdomDunlopcàise Dhùn Lùib A mild Scottish cheese from Ayrshire made with unskimmed cow's milk.Cow · Semi-soft · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇹 ItalyBra A Piedmontese cow's-milk cheese made soft or hard depending on age.Cow · Hard 🇪🇸 SpainMahónformatge de Maó / queso de Mahón A cow's-milk cheese from Menorca that ranges from soft and mild to hard and sharp.Cow · Semi-soft · Buttery and creamy 🇪🇸 SpainZamoranoQueso zamorano A hard, dark-rinded sheep's milk cheese from the province of Zamora in Spain.Sheep · Hard · Nutty 🇪🇬 Egypt and 1 moreRumiجبنة رومى A hard, salty Egyptian cow or buffalo milk cheese with a pungent aroma.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇨🇭 SwitzerlandBerner AlpkäseBerner Hobelkäse A hard, hole-free Swiss cheese from the Bernese Alps, aged up to two years.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalyPiave A hard Italian cow's milk cheese from the Veneto region with a sweet flavor and PDO status.Cow · Hard · Sweet and caramel 🇮🇹 ItalyPecorino Toscano A firm Tuscan sheep's milk cheese with PDO status since 1996.Sheep · Hard · Salty 🇮🇹 ItalySilter A brined, aged cow's-milk cheese from the Brescia mountains of Italy.Cow · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇫🇷 FranceTomme des PyrénéesToma de Pirenèus A rustic pressed cheese from the French Pyrenees, made from cow, sheep or goat milk.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇺🇸 United States and 2 moreRomano cheese A hard, salty American grating cheese made from cow, goat, or sheep milk.Cow · Hard · Salty 🇬🇷 GreeceLadotyri MytilinisΛαδοτύρι Μυτιλήνης A hard Greek cheese from Lesbos preserved in olive oil since ancient times.Sheep · Hard · Savoury and brothy 🇮🇹 ItalyGrana A family of hard, granular Italian cow's-milk cheeses known for grating.Cow · Hard · Nutty 🇲🇽 MexicoCotija A salty, aged cow's milk cheese from Michoacán that crumbles but does not melt.Cow · Semi-hard · Salty 🇦🇹 Austria and 2 moreVorarlberger Bergkäse A hard, nutty cow's-milk cheese from the Austrian Alps, aged for months or years.Cow · Hard · Nutty
More cheeses

Photo credits on this page

The small pictures above come from Wikimedia Commons under free licences. Some are cropped to fit.

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Every Monday: seven cheeses you may not know, the cheese days of the week ahead, and one dish explained step by step.