Patrick Oconnell
Provolone is a semi-hard Italian cheese with a sharp and tangy flavour. It is typically made from cow's milk and is aged, resulting in two main varieties: Provolone Dolce and Provolone Piccante. Provolone Dolce is a mild, creamy, and slightly sweet version of the cheese, while Provolone Piccante is a more mature and sharp variety. Provolone is often matched with spicy sopressatas, olives, roasted red peppers, and pickled vegetables. It is also commonly melted and used in dishes such as hoagies, casseroles, panini, pizza, and baked pasta.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Type | Semi-hard cheese |
| Origin | Southern Italy |
| Main Ingredients | Cow's milk |
| Variants | Provolone Dolce, Provolone Piccante, Provolone Valpadana, Provolone del Monaco |
| Flavour | Sharp, Tangy, Nutty, Salty |
| Texture | Creamy, Smooth |
| Age | Provolone Dolce (2-3 months), Provolone Piccante (4 months or longer) |
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What You'll Learn
- Provolone Dolce: the younger, milder version of Provolone, with a pale yellow colour and a slightly sweet flavour
- Provolone Piccante: the more mature and sharp version, aged for at least four months
- Provolone Valpadana: a variety of Provolone that has received the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label from the European Union
- Provolone del Monaco: another variety with a PDO label, ensuring production in certain Italian regions
- Provolone is often paired with spicy sopressatas, olives, roasted red peppers, and pickled vegetables
Provolone Dolce: the younger, milder version of Provolone, with a pale yellow colour and a slightly sweet flavour
Provolone cheese is an Italian semi-hard cheese with sharp and tangy flavours. It is typically made from cow's milk and is aged, resulting in two main varieties: Provolone Dolce and Provolone Piccante.
Provolone Dolce is the younger, milder version of Provolone. It is aged for two to three months and has a pale yellow colour and a mild, creamy, and slightly sweet flavour. This variety is perfect for Italian cuisine, especially melted over meat dishes, sliced in toasted sandwiches, or even in quick and easy recipes. For example, you could prepare some mixed vegetable croquettes with Provolone Dolce.
Provolone Dolce is made from the milk of Friesian cows that graze near the Po River in the Val Padana region of northern Italy. The milk is brought directly from the polder and enriched with natural whey and rennet to form the curd. This cheese is known to take on a wide range of shapes and sizes and is characterised by a blue texture up to its thinnest slice.
Provolone Dolce is a versatile cheese that can be enjoyed melted or cold, providing a range of flavours and textures. It is a good option for those who are looking for a milder cheese, such as those who are pregnant or have a sensitive palate.
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Provolone Piccante: the more mature and sharp version, aged for at least four months
Provolone is an Italian semi-hard cheese, typically made from cow's milk. It is produced in several regions of Italy, including Lombardy, Veneto, and Campania, and has its origins in Southern Italy. The name "provolone" comes from the Neapolitan words "prova" or "provola", which mean "globe-shaped".
Provolone is classified into two forms: Provolone Dolce and Provolone Piccante. Provolone Piccante is the more mature and sharp version of the cheese, aged for at least four months but often longer, with a strong and salty taste. The aging process and the use of rennet, an enzyme made from goat or lamb, contribute to its sharper flavour.
Provolone Piccante is a full-bodied, buttery cheese with a slight snap. It is a full-fat cow's milk cheese with a firm and grainy texture. It is often shaped into pear, sausage, or cone forms, and sometimes smoked. This variety of provolone is mostly used as a sandwich cheese and table cheese, meaning it is eaten uncooked. However, its flavour intensifies when melted, making it a good topping for pizzas and pastas. It pairs well with fruits like red grapes, pears, and figs, as well as tomatoes, roasted red peppers, olives, and hearty bread drizzled with olive oil.
Provolone Valpadana and Provolone del Monaco are two specific types of Provolone Piccante that have received the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label from the European Union, ensuring they are produced in certain Italian regions with specific ingredients and methods.
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Provolone Valpadana: a variety of Provolone that has received the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label from the European Union
Provolone is an Italian semi-hard cheese with a rich history and a sharp and tangy flavour. It is made from cow's milk and is produced in many regions of Italy and other countries. The cheese has its origins in Southern Italy, specifically the Campania region near Vesuvius.
Provolone Valpadana is a variety of Provolone that has received the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label from the European Union. This label regulates the production of Provolone Valpadana, ensuring that it is produced in specific Italian regions using designated ingredients and methods. The label also identifies the cheese's trademark and authorises its production by the Consorzio Tutela Provolone Valpadana. Provolone Valpadana is characterised by its ancient spinning technique, where the plasticity of the dough during the processing phase allows cheesemakers to create a wide variety of shapes and weights.
Provolone Valpadana has two varieties: "Mild" and "Strong". The "Mild" variety uses calf rennet and is matured for up to 2-3 months, while the "Strong" variety uses rennet made from kid and/or lamb paste and is matured for at least 3 months to over a year. Provolone Valpadana is typically available in portions of around 200g at refrigerated counters, although it can also be found in different weights.
Provolone Valpadana PDO is one of the most exported Italian delicacies, showcasing the sweet and spicy flavours of Europe.
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Provolone del Monaco: another variety with a PDO label, ensuring production in certain Italian regions
Provolone cheese is an Italian semi-hard cheese known for its sharp and tangy flavour. Originating in Southern Italy, it is now made in several other regions of Italy and other countries. Typically made from cow's milk, it is an aged pasta filata ('stretched-curd') cheese.
Provolone has two main varieties: Provolone Dolce and Provolone Piccante. Provolone Dolce is the younger, milder version of Provolone, aged for two to three months. It is pale yellow with a mild, creamy, and slightly sweet flavour. The Dolce version uses calf's lipase (an enzyme) instead of goat's lipase, which is used in the Provolone Piccante variety. Provolone Piccante is the more mature and sharp version, aged for at least four months but often longer. It has a very sharp taste.
Provolone Valpadana and Provolone del Monaco have received the PDO (Protected Designation of Origin) label from the European Union, which regulates the production of these cheeses, ensuring they are produced in certain Italian regions using specific ingredients and methods of production.
Provolone del Monaco is a specific type of Provolone cheese that originates from the Campania region, near Vesuvius, and is produced around Monaco, in the province of Naples. It has a semi-hard texture that can range from slightly crumbly to firm, depending on its age. As it matures, it can become more granular and crumbly. The cheese has a rich, nutty, and slightly tangy flavour. The younger version is aged for a few months, while older ones are aged for a year or more. The longer it is aged, the stronger and spicier the flavour becomes. Provolone del Monaco is known for its unique production process, which involves hanging the cheese to age in caves, imparting distinct characteristics to the cheese.
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Provolone is often paired with spicy sopressatas, olives, roasted red peppers, and pickled vegetables
Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with a rich and velvety texture. It is made from the milk of Friesian cows that graze near the Po River in northern Italy. It has a mild, nutty, and slightly salty flavour. Provolone is a versatile cheese that can be enjoyed melted or cold.
Provolone is often paired with spicy sopressatas, a type of salami. Sopressata is a thinly sliced, spicy-sweet Italian salami that is often included in charcuterie boards. It is made from ground pork, red wine, and spices such as garlic, cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, and dried chilli peppers. The combination of provolone and sopressata provides a contrast between the mild, nutty cheese and the warm, spicy salami.
Provolone is also commonly paired with olives, roasted red peppers, and pickled vegetables. The salty, briny flavours of olives complement the mildness of provolone, while the roasted red peppers add a touch of sweetness and acidity. Pickled vegetables, such as pepperoncini peppers, provide a crunchy texture and a tangy flavour that pairs well with the smoothness of provolone.
These pairings can be served in various ways, such as on a meat and cheese platter, in a sandwich or panini, or as part of a salad. Provolone's versatility and mild flavour make it a perfect match for the bold and spicy flavours of sopressatas, olives, roasted red peppers, and pickled vegetables.
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Frequently asked questions
Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with a sharp and tangy flavor. It is made from cow's milk and is typically aged for two to three months for the milder version, and at least four months for the sharper version.
Provolone cheese originates from Southern Italy, specifically the regions of Val Padana in Northern Italy.
Provolone cheese has a sharp and tangy flavor with hints of nuttiness and salty undertones. It is known for its rich and milky taste.
Provolone cheese is a pulled-curd cheese, which means that the warm curds are pulled into elastic bands of cheese. These curds are then formed into wheels, brined in a salty bath, and aged.
Provolone is closely related to other Italian cheeses such as mozzarella, burrata, and sopressatas.
