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Provolone (, ) is an Italian cuisine semi-hard cheese made from Cattle's milk. It is an aged pasta filata ('stretched-curd') cheese originating in the Campania region, near Mount Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in other countries. The most important provolone production region today is northwestern Italy and, in particular, the city of Cremona. Provolone, provola, and provoleta are versions of the same basic cheese. Some versions of provolone are smoked. Great Chicken Dishes. p. 165.
Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with taste varying greatly from provolone piccante (sharp, piquant), aged for a minimum of four months and with a very sharp taste, to provolone dolce (sweet) with a very mild taste. In provolone piccante, the distinctive piquant taste is produced with lipase (enzyme) derived from goat. The dolce version uses calf's lipase instead.
Both provolone Valpadana and provolone del Monaco (meaning 'monk's provolone'; from the Naples area of Italy) have received protected designation of origin (PDO) from the European Union, meaning no country other than Italy may legally produce a cheese called that.
In Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay small discs of locally produced Pasta filata provolone of in diameter and in height are sometimes grilled until partially melted and eaten as a starter, often seasoned with herbs. The cheese when served this way is often called provoleta in Spanish.
Provolone makes up 2.5% of the cheese produced in the U.S. with of provolone made in 2023. Quickstats, National Agricultural Statistics Service, United States Department of Agriculture, accessed March 12, 2024
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