Provolone
Provolone is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk with a stretched curd. It runs from the very sharp piccante, aged at least four months, to the mild dolce.
Yozh, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Key Facts
| Country of Origin | Italy |
| Specific Origin | Campania, Italy |
| Milk Type | Cow's milk |
| Texture | Semi-Hard |
| Flavor | Tangy |
| Aroma | Pleasant |
| Colors | Pale yellow |
| Forms | Pear, sausage or cone shapes, 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long |
| Age | At least 4 months for piccante |
| Also Known As | provola, provoleta |
What is Provolone Cheese?
Provolone comes from the Campania region of Italy, near Vesuvius, where it is still made in pear, sausage or cone shapes 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) long. The name means large provola and appeared around the end of the 19th century, when southern Italian producers began making it at its current size. Today the main production area is northwestern Italy, above all the city of Cremona.
It is a pasta filata cheese, meaning the curd is stretched before shaping. The sharp taste of provolone piccante comes from goat lipase; the dolce version uses calf lipase instead. Some versions are smoked. The smaller variant, provola, is sold plain and smoked (affumicata).
Taste varies widely between the two styles. Piccante is aged for a minimum of four months and finishes very sharp and piquant. Dolce is very mild and sweet.
In Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay, small local discs 10 to 15 cm (4 to 6 in) across and 1 to 2 cm (1/2 to 3/4 in) high are grilled until partly melted and eaten as a starter, often seasoned with herbs. Served that way it is usually called provoleta. Provolone-type cheeses are made in several countries: the U.S. produced 170,000 tonnes (370 million pounds) in 2023, about 2.5% of its cheese.
How Does Provolone Cheese Compare?
The most relevant cheeses to compare Provolone against.
