Original: Like Parmigiano Reggiano , Grana Padano is a semi-fat hard cheese which is cooked and ripened slowly ( for at least 9 months , then , if it passes the quality tests , it will be fire-branded with the Grana padano trademark ) .
Simplified: Like Parmigiano Reggiano , Grana Padano is a semi-fat hard cheese which is cooked and ripened slowly ( for up to 18 months ) .