Grana Padano is one of the most popular (Denominazione di Origine Protetta, D.O.P., in Italian, Protected Designation of Origin, P.D.O., in English; Denominazione di Origine Controllata, D.O.C., in Italian, Controlled Designation of Origin, C.D.O., in English) cheeses of Italy. The name comes from the noun grana (‘grain’), which refers to the distinctively grainy texture of the cheese, and the adjective Padano, which refers to the valley Pianura Padana. (The reason this cheese is called "Grana Padano" and not "Grana Padana" is because in this case the Italian word "grana" is the masculine noun, "il grana," describing this specific cheese, and not the feminine noun "la grana", which means "grain").