{{Short description|Italian cheese}} {{Infobox cheese | name = Provolone | image = Provolone watermelon shape.jpg | image_size = | caption = ''Provolone piccante'' ({{literally|spicy provolone}}) | othernames = | country = Italy | region = | town = | source = Cow | pasteurised = Depends on cow variety | texture = Semi-hard | fat = | protein = | dimensions = | weight = | aging = At least 4 months | certification = ''Provolone Valpadana'':<br />PDO: 21 June 1996<ref name="DOOR2">{{cite web | url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/registeredName.html;jsessionid=2SL0R9JYYQN5DgDZWbcJPkzbpJLwglL8wn19qbD8x0DTFR91MJFh!582864668?denominationId=579 | title=Provolone Valpadana Denomination Information | publisher=European Commission | access-date=August 3, 2013}}</ref> <BR>''Provolone del Monaco'':<BR>PDO: 11 February 2010<ref name="DOOR1">{{cite web | url=http://ec.europa.eu/agriculture/quality/door/browse.html?open&chkDenomination=1792&fuseaction=view | title=Provolone del Monaco Denomination Information | publisher=European Commission | access-date=August 3, 2013}}</ref> }}
'''Provolone''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|r|əʊ|v|ə|ˈ|l|əʊ|n|ei|,_|ˌ|p|r|əʊ|v|ə|ˈ|l|əʊ|n|i|,_|ˌ|p|r|əʊ|v|ə|ˈ|l|əʊ|n|audio=en-us-provolone.ogg}},<ref>{{cite encyclopedia| encyclopedia= American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language| edition= Fifth| title= Provolone | access-date= June 3, 2019| via= thefreedictionary.com| url= https://www.thefreedictionary.com/provolone}}</ref> {{IPA|it|provoˈloːne|lang}}) is an Italian semi-hard cheese made from cow's milk. It is an aged ''pasta filata'' ('stretched-curd') cheese originating in the Campania region,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.agricoltura.regione.campania.it/Tipici/provolone_monaco-new.html|title=Prodotti Tipici della Campania - provolone del monaco|trans-title=Traditional products of Campania - provolone del monaco|lang=it|website=regione.campania.it|access-date=24 November 2021|archive-date=3 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203121838/http://www.agricoltura.regione.campania.it/tipici/provolone_monaco-new.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in pear, sausage, or cone shapes {{cvt|10|to|15|cm|in|0}} long. Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in other countries. The most important provolone production region today{{When|date=April 2024}} 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.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=3XU0zCdpu54C&pg=PT166 ''Great Chicken Dishes''<!-- Bot generated title -->]. p. 165.</ref>
==History and varieties== The term ''provolone'' (meaning 'large ''provola''<nowiki/>') appeared around the end of the 19th century, when it started to be manufactured in the southern regions of Italy and assumed its current large size.{{Cn|date=October 2025}} The smaller sized variant is called ''provola'' ({{IPA|it|ˈprɔːvola|lang}}) and is sold in plain and smoked (''affumicata'') varieties.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Schwartz |first=Arthur |title=Naples at Table: Cooking in Campania |publisher=HarperCollins |year=1998 |isbn=0-06-018261-X |location=New York |page=[https://archive.org/details/naplesattablecoo0000schw/page/212/ 212]}}</ref>
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'' (from the Naples area of Italy) have received protected designation of origin (PDO) from the European Union, meaning no country in the European Union other than Italy may legally produce a cheese called "provolone".
In Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, and Uruguay small discs of locally produced pulled-curd provolone of {{convert|10|to|15|cm|abbr=on|0}} in diameter and {{convert|1|to|2|cm|in|abbr=on|frac=4}} 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 {{convert|370|e6lb|t|order=flip|abbr=off}} of provolone made in 2023.<ref>[https://quickstats.nass.usda.gov/results/92FF62DE-D70C-3380-9F90-B2A26590B390 Quickstats], National Agricultural Statistics Service, United States Department of Agriculture, accessed March 12, 2024.</ref>
==See also== {{Portal|Italy|Food}} * List of Italian cheeses * List of stretch-curd cheeses
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Italian cheeses}}
Category:Italian cheeses Category:Cuisine of Campania Category:Cow's-milk cheeses Category:Italian products with protected designation of origin Category:Cheeses with designation of origin protected in the European Union Category:Smoked cheeses Category:Stretched-curd cheeses