In a word, Parrano is: awesome. Hailing from the Netherlands, it looks sort of like Parmesan-Reggiano and can be used as an interesting alternative in dishes calling for Parm-Regg or Asiago. Sold as an Italian cheese, it is actually classified as a Gouda. It is produced in 20 pound wheels and is aged for 5 months before making its way to you! *

Parrano is firm to the touch, but give it a hard poke and you’ll see that it’s a bit soft. It can be tricky to grate; it just wants to fall apart.

However, it tastes simply amazing. Sort of like butter! I recently used Parrano in place of Asiago in Cooking Light’s Bacon and Wild Mushroom Risotto. It was a h-u-g-e hit and I will definitely be making it again!

* If you want to try new cheeses before committing to them (hello, expensive), check out Whole Foods. They always have a little “nib” section in their cheeses where they sell small chunks of leftover wheels for small prices. I bought my Parrano chunk for $2.21 the other day! You might not always find exactly what you’re looking for, but you might just find an awesome new love.