{{Short description|Argentinian cheese}} {{Italics title}} [[File:Asado argentino en parrilla a carbón.jpg|thumb|Sliced ''provoleta'' grilling on a typical Argentine ''asado'' rack]] '''''Provoleta''''' is an Argentine variant of provolone cheese described as "Argentine pulled-curd provolone cheese". It can be heated on a grill, or indoors in a cast-iron pan. The cheese is firm and can hold its shape when grilled.<ref>{{cite book |last=Raichlen |first=Steven |title=Indoor! Grilling |date=2004 |publisher=Workman Publishing Company |isbn=9780761159599 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QfAA15thKm8C&pg=PA28}}</ref>
== Description == The Provoleta cheese'','' also known under the name ''Queso Provolone Hilado Argentino'', is typically produced in small discs of {{convert|10|to|15|cm|in|0|abbr=in}} in diameter and {{convert|1|to|1.5|cm|in|round=0.5|abbr=in}} in height. The cheese is made by 'spinning' the dough, to ensure that the cheese is dense enough and stays in form when cooked on the grill.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CODIGO ALIMENTARIO ARGENTINO |url=http://www.alimentosargentinos.gov.ar/programa_calidad/Marco_Regulatorio/CAA/CAPITULOVIII.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031072855/http://www.alimentosargentinos.gov.ar/programa_calidad/Marco_Regulatorio/CAA/CAPITULOVIII.htm |archive-date=2010-10-31 |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=www.alimentosargentinos.gov.ar}}</ref> thumb|A provoleta cheese in a pan, before melting Grilled provoleta often eaten at the start of an ''asado'' (barbecue), before the grilled meat. For this, the cheese, coated with flour and often topped with chilli flakes and oregano, is placed directly on the grill, on small stones or inside a foil plate, and cooked until part-melted. The ''provoleta'' may be seasoned with chimichurri, a mixture of oils and spices, and is usually eaten communally with bread.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://travelfoodatlas.com/provoleta-recipe |title= Authentic Argentine Provoleta|publisher=Travel Food Atlas|date= 16 August 2022}}</ref>
Stuffed ''provoleta'' ({{langx|es|provoleta rellena}}) is a ''provoleta'' stuffed with assorted fillings that could include ham, barbecue sausage or ''morcilla'' blood sausage, cheese, vegetables, peppers and onions.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Almirón |first=Constanza |date=2025-03-31 |title=Receta de provoleta rellena, rápida y fácil |url=https://www.infobae.com/tendencias/2025/03/31/receta-de-provoleta-rellena-rapida-y-facil/ |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=infobae |language=es}}</ref>
== History == Provoleta as a cheese grew out of the Italian provolone cheese. Natalio Alba, an immigrant to Córdoba, Argentina from the Italian region of Calabria adapted the "provolone" ("''big provola"'' in Italian) and made the ''"small provola"'', the ''provoleta'' in the 1940s,<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=La provoleta: un plato de orgullo nacional {{!}} Excelencias Gourmet |url=https://www.excelenciasgourmet.com/es/recetas/provoleta-argentina |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=www.excelenciasgourmet.com |language=es}}</ref> inspired by typical cheeses of his region such as ''provola silana'' and ''caciocavallo'', combining it with the tradition of Argentine ''asado''.<ref>{{cite book |title=¡Un aplauso para el asador!| date=April 2016 | publisher=Penguin Random House Grupo Editorial Argentina | isbn=9789500754446 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QibPCwAAQBAJ&pg=PT41}}</ref>
The way of manufacturing the cheese entered the Argentine food code in 1955 and Alba registered a trademark for the name in 1963<ref>{{Cite web |last=Areal |first=Rocío |date=2016-10-27 |title=Provoleta, de queso somos |url=https://pulperia.ar/provoleta-de-queso-somos/ |access-date=2026-05-28 |website=Pulpería Argentina |language=es}}</ref>, only in 2008 the brand name officially became a generic name.<ref name=":0" />
==See also== {{Portal|Argentina|Food}} * Argentine cheese
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Argentine cheeses}} {{Cheese dishes}} {{Barbecue}}
Category:Uruguayan cuisine Category:Barbecue Category:Cheese dishes Category:Argentine cheeses