Provolone Piccante

£5.45
Description

The name is enough to make your mouth water. Provolone piccante is a semi-hard stretched cheese made from cow milk. It belongs to the pasta filata family, i.e., it is made with spun paste. It originated in southern Italy, in the Po valley region. The cheese got its name from the Neapolitan word prova or provola, which means globe-shaped.

When aged for a longer period, provolone gets a piquant taste and is thus called provolone piccante. A firm and grainy texture characterises this cheese. This cheese works best as a table cheese or a sandwich cheese. You can enjoy its intense taste by grating it over pizza or pasta.

Origin

Provolone is a staple of the Italian kitchen. The creamy interior is encased by a brown and oily rind. Its history dates back to the 1800s as it originated in the Po valley of South Italy. Goat or lamb rennet is used to impart an intense taste to provolone piccante. The yellower look and sharper savour of provolone make it a celebrated cheese in Italy. It is aged for at least four months to acquire its texture and flavour. After the Napoleon era, when Italians moved from south to north, the traditions of making provolone reached northern Italy. However, the Lombardy and Veneto regions of Po valley are still known for producing the best-quality of provolone piccante.

How to use

There are so many ways to enjoy provolone piccante. Being a table cheese, it is best eaten alone or served on a sandwich. Since provolone melts easily, you can add it to sandwiches or grate it on salads. It is a favourite of most Italians for antipasto. When serving provolone on a cheeseboard, accompany it with spicy condiments for a delicious treat. You will fall in love with it when it is paired with prosciutto. Grated provolone is ideal for pizza and pasta dishes. Provolone is fantastic for adding on paninis and putting inside casseroles.

Ingredients

Milk, salt, rennet. In the rind perservatives E235, E202

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