Romano cheese, made since the 1st century B.C, is a hard cheese prepared predominantly with cows or sheep or goats or mixtures of two or all.
Romano cheese has a grainy texture, a hard and brittle rind, and grates easily.
Romano cheese makes as excellent as table cheese.
It is variably used over pasta, soups, and salad or shaved onto cooked dishes and cream sauces.
Outline
6 Best Substitutes for Romano Cheese
However, Romano cheese can be expensive and difficult to find, so in this article, we have a list of the best substitutes for Romano cheese.
Parmesan
After the Italian province of Parma, Parmesan cheese is a hard, dried cheese made from cows’ milk.
Parmesan cheese is a DOP cheese that can only be produced in Italy, including Bologna, Manua, Modena, and Parma.
The rich, sharp flavor, crumbly texture, and intense aroma come after aging cheese for at least two years.
Parmesan melts easily and can be added to pastries, pieces of bread, or baked pasta dishes.
Summary
Romano cheese is more salty and savory than Parmesan, so substituting always tastes before adding salt to recipes.
Asiago
Asiago is an Italian cheese that has a smooth texture and mild flavor when it’s fresh.
With age, it forms a harder, firmer, crystallized texture and sharp, savory flavor.
Like Parmesan, Asiago is made from unpasteurized cow’s milk however has a stronger, nuttier flavor than Parmesan or Romano.
While Asiago can be grated over foods, it is often softer than Romano.
Asiago is usually eaten by itself or as part of a cheeseboard.
Summary
Asiago is less tangy compared to Romano cheese. Asiago is slightly softer and can be substituted at a 1:1 ratio.
Grana Padano
Grana’s cheeses, Parmigiano Reggiano and Grana Padano derive their name because of the grainy texture of the ripened cheese.
Grana Padano is derived from aged cow’s milk.
Grana Padano has a sweeter, subtler flavor with a less crumbly texture.
Grana Padano is made from a single milking, and the milk is skimmed by creaming for eight hr.
Summary
Grana Padano has a similar taste to Romano and can be added as a 1:1 substitution; one may need to add a little more salt, making an excellent substitute for Romano cheese.
Piave
Piave cheese is a hard, cooked-curd DOP cheese sold at five different points of the aging process.
Piave Fresco cheese aged for 20 to 60 days has a blue label.
Piave Mezzano cheese old for 61 to 180 days hasblue label.
Piave Vecchio cheese aged for more than six months has a blue label.
Piave Vecchio Selezione Oro cheese aged for more than one year has a red label, Piave Vecchio Riserva cheese aged for more than 18 months has a black label.
The young Piave cheese is white and has a slight sweetness, but with age, it gets darker, with more straw-colored, and develops a strong flavor similar to Parmesan.
Summary
Piave cheese is a rich cheese with a slightly sweet flavor; it makes an excellent substitute for Romano cheese.
Spanish Manchego
Spanish Manchego is a semi-hard cheese made from pasteurized sheep’s milk.
Similar to Romano, Spanish Manchego has a tangy flavor.
Manchego is a DOP cheese that is produced in the La Mancha region of Spain.
Spanish Manchego is classified by the age of the cheese and available in varieties.
Summary
Manchego Viejo, a Manchego cheese aged for a least one year, is used When substituting for Romano, and it adds excellent flavor when grated over pasta or baked into a pastry.
Nutritional Yeast
Nutritional yeast, a species of yeast known as Saccharomyces cerevisiae , is grown specifically to be a food product often used in vegan cooking.
Nutritional yeast is gluten-free and helps in various dishes and flavors.
Culinarians sprinkled nutritional yeast over food because it has a nutty, savory flavor similar to Romano cheese.
Summary
Nutritional yeast has a strong flavor and should only be used half in place of Romano. Nutritional yeast can also be combined with cashews to give it a more buttery, nutty flavor.
FAQs
Romano has a sharper and saltier taste making it excellent for grating on pasta, soup, or salad. Romano cheese flavor is particularly nice in a pesto.
Romano is a hard, grating-type cheese mainly used on pizzas and pasta. Since Romano cheese has a low moisture level, it does not melt easily and is principally used in the grating.
Bottom Line
Romano cheese can serve as a side dish with pasta dishes or garnish over cream soups, pasta, or fresh green salads.
There are, however, many substitutes available in place of Romano cheese with similar use and taste.
I hope this list helps find you your suitable replacement for Romano. Also, do share your experience and recipes in the comments section.