Grana Padano and Mustard

The sweet and rounded taste of younger Grana Padano, with its milky aroma, finds a natural balance with a sweet and delicate mustard, in perfect harmony with the cheese.
This is why we recommend pairing it with honey mustard, a variety that, as its name suggests, is created by combining yellow mustard and honey. The result is a very creamy mustard, intensely yellow, with a flavor perfectly balanced between spiciness and sweetness.
This pairing is perfect for an unusual, refined, and tasty aperitif.

Curiosities:

– Delicate honeys, such as acacia, wildflower, or linden honey, are often used in honey mustard production. These give the mustard a balanced sweetness that doesn’t overpower the natural taste of yellow mustard but softens it, creating a perfect sweet and spicy balance.
– Honey mustard has gained a special place in German and American cuisines, where it’s particularly appreciated for its sweet and delicate flavor that balances the savory and robust nature of typical dishes.

The balanced and savory taste of this Grana Padano aging is enriched by pleasant notes of dried fruit. For this reason, we pair it with a whole grain mustard, which has a rustic and crunchy texture, characterized by soft and slightly spicy, yet always balanced, aromas.
This is an elegant and refined pairing that, in addition to the perfect harmony of flavors, presents an interesting interplay of textures between the granularity of the Grana Padano and the crunchy consistency of the not-perfectly-smooth mustard.
This pairing is ideal for various recipes, from a simple chicken salad enriched with Grana shavings and dressed with whole grain mustard, to a hamburger where the flavors blend to create a unique taste experience.

Curiosities:

– This mustard retains whole or partially crushed seeds, a technique that dates back to the Middle Ages when a more rustic flavor and crunchier texture were preferred.
– Beyond the classic accompaniment for meats and cheeses, it’s widely used to prepare sweet and sour glazes or to flavor marinades, thanks to its seeds that slowly release aroma and spiciness.

Grana Padano aged between 20 and 24 months has a more decisive and aromatic flavor, enriched by a pleasant savoriness and subtle hints of dried fruit and butter. To enhance this complexity, we suggest pairing it with Dijon mustard, characterized by a creamy consistency and a bold yet balanced taste, with a hint of acidity.
The encounter between the rich character of the cheese and the delicate pungency of Dijon mustard creates a refined and harmonious experience, perfect for accompanying gourmet dishes or for beautifully finishing a special dinner.

Curiosities:

– The key ingredient that makes this mustard unique is verjus, an unripe grape juice, which provides freshness and a particular acidity without adding vinegar.
– The ‘Dijon’ denomination refers to the French town responsible for the traditional production of this type of mustard, although today mustards with similar characteristics are also made in other locations, even outside France.

 When Grana Padano ages beyond 24 months, its taste becomes intense, structured, and friable, with accentuated savoriness and deeper aromatic notes.
For this bold cheese, we recommend English mustard, with its strong and spicy personality, capable of both balancing and enhancing the complexity of the cheese.
Its intense and decisive spiciness perfectly complements the structure of the more mature Grana Padano, giving life to a robust and character-rich pairing, ideal for accompanying meat dishes and full-bodied wines.

Curiosities:

– Traditional English mustard is characterized by a decisive spiciness, as it’s prepared with freshly ground mustard powder, which releases maximum strength and heat when consumed fresh.
– It’s often associated with the “Sunday roast” and is so popular that it’s considered a kind of national “gastronomic heritage” in England.