Speciality cheese
Provolone
Italy — Southern origins; today mainly the Po Valley.
PDOProvolone Valpadana. PDO from Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia-Romagna and Trentino.
Profile
- Milk
- Cow's milk.
- Pasteurisation
- Varies.
- Texture
- Firm, smooth; dolce supple, piccante harder.
- Flavour
- Dolce: mild; piccante: sharp, spicy.
- Aroma
- Milky to pungent; sometimes smoked.
- Rind
- Thin, waxed, often tied and hung.
- Typical maturation
- Dolce about 2–3 months; piccante several months to a year or more
Tasting & pairing
Compare dolce (calf rennet, mild) with piccante (kid/lamb rennet, sharper). Use the tasting wheel.
Food
- Cured vegetables
- Bread
- Philly cheesesteak
- Olives
Drinks (non-alcoholic)
- Lemon soda
- Iced tea
Optional, if you drink alcohol: Red wine.
Storage: Wrap; refrigerate.
How it's made
- Method
- A stretched-curd cheese shaped into large pears, sausages or cones, brined and hung to age.
- Cultures
- Whey starter or thermophilic cultures.
- Coagulation
- Rennet
- Curd handling
- Curd stretched in hot water and moulded.
- Pressing
- None.
- Salting
- Brined.
- Ageing
- Hung by cords.
At home: Advanced home make
Stretched-curd plus long ageing.
Recipes on FriendsPantry that use it
Sources
- Cheese Making Technology e-book — University of Guelph, Food Science
- Molds on Food: Are They Dangerous? — USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service
- eAmbrosia — EU geographical indications register — European Commission
Guidance changes: check the source for current wording. Original text; figures quoted from the sources where stated.