Provolone originally comes from the south of Italy but is nowadays produced in several regions of North Italy and no kitchen is likely to be without it. The cheese is sold in various shapes, melon-or pear-shaped, salami-shaped, bottle shaped or a truncated cone. The weight may vary per shape. Our Provolone Picante is a salami-shaped cheese.
The cheese is made from pasteurized cow's milk that is cooked and shaped and salted in brine and hung up to dry. Some cheeses are sold as young as two months, but six months or more is a more usual maturation period.
Provolone picante is an older version that may have a deeper straw-colored paste than the Provolone dolce and can develop small cracks. A really good Provolone has a strongly herbal aroma with salad leaves and a lemony tang. The taste is rich and spicy with the same attractive herbaceous flavors and a salty bite.