How do I ensure Im buying legit parmigiano reggiano cheese?

>>8096272
As long as it isn't pasturized milk you're good.

>>8096272
It should say "product of italy" or some shit

>>8096272
Call me a pleb, but as long as it says imported from Italy and has the iconic rind, I think it'll be fine. Even if it happens to be 'fake' they sure put a lot of fucking effort in anyways and is still gonna be tasty. That being said, grana padano is better, my dude.

the package doesnt specify unpasterized or pasterized cow milk

yeah but i cant get grana in my small town

>>8096319
I know that feel. I grew up in relatively small towns in flyover land. When you can get it, get a bunch. Properly stored, cheese like that keeps for months in the fridge (if it even lasts that long cuz it's so tasty)

If it has termites it's fake.
If it smells like rot it's real.

>>8096272
If you powder it over a plate of steaming spaghetti you should be able to smell rotten semen.

>>8096308
Grana and parmigiano are pretty much the same cheese. People give a whole bunch of differences between the two, but the most important differences are that grana isn't aged as long, comes from a much wider range of places and the milk used to make it is slightly less fatty due to the cow's diets differing a tad. The process to make it and the base flavour are close to identical.
That said, I'm a cheap sumbitch, so I buy the Czech grana. Even as an import, it's cheaper than native grana. Some people are pissy about buying Italian only, but I'm not so patriotic as all that.

>>8096335
You can always vac seal it for long storage in the fridge. I kept a piece of Edam in the fridge for two years this way and recently opened it to serve to guests. Tasted just as normal and none of us had any digestive problems from it.

>>8096315
Show the package and I or some other may be able to discern whether it's real or not.

>>8096272
I don't speak italian but google translator is your friend
http://www.parmigianoreggiano.it/dove_trova/guida_acquisto/contrassegni_marchi_garanzia.aspx

>>8096308
Grana padano is not better. However the difference is negligible but the price difference is huge. Parmigiano reggiano is the better cheese though.

File: Marchiatura_2.jpg (2MB, 1952x2536px) Image search: [Google]

2MB, 1952x2536px

>>8096467
Grana is also cheaper, m8. That's why I like it. Also it's less intensely flavored, so I can mix it better with other cheeses than using it as a garnish because parm can sometimes overpower.

>>8096486
I use grana more for cooking than I do parm. Both are tasty, but I lean towards grana, because it has more variety.

Parmigiano/Grana/Asiago/Pecorino (most Italian style hard cheeses) are some of my absolute favorites.

>>8096493
I know it's cheaper! Cheaper still, though, is the Czech one. It's only about two-thirds the price of the proper stuff and, to me, it tastes the same.

>>8096509
I'd probably have to go to a proper cheese monger to get some Czech grana, but it shouldn't be TOO hard to find in Manhattan, right? I'll take your word for it, anon; keeping my eyes peeled.