Provolone is a type of Italian cheese that has its origins in Southern Italy. It is still produced in a variety of shapes, including pear-shaped forms that are 10 to 15 cm long, sausage-shaped forms, and cone-shaped forms. There are also versions of Provolone produced in North America and Japan. Provolone is made from whole-milk cow’s milk and has a smooth skin.
It comes in various forms, such as large salami shapes that can be up to 30 cm in diameter and 90 cm long, watermelon shapes, truncated bottle shapes, and large pear shapes with a characteristic round knob for hanging. Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with a taste that varies greatly from Provolone Piccante (piquant), which is aged for a minimum of 4 months and has a very sharp taste, to Provolone Dolce (sweet) with a very mild taste. In Provolone Piccante, the distinctive piquant taste is produced with lipase originating from the goat.
