A cow's milk cheese made with stretched curd, which means that it is similar to mozzarella. Like mozzarella, it may also be made from buffalo milk. It is moulded by hand and comes in a variety of shapes and sizes but is most commonly sausage- or egg-shaped, tied with string and has a thin, shiny, hard yellow wax rind. When young this cheese is supple and smooth, and is known as Provolone dolce and, when older, as Provolone forte or piccante. Young Provolone is aged for two to three months, is sweet and supple and is generally used as a table cheese and in cooking. Provolone piccante is aged for six months to two years and has a strong, spicy, aromatic flavour and a harder rind. This is often used as grating cheese. (PDO). Provolone Valpadana has a DOC/PDO and is based in Cremona in Lombardy, though the cheese generally comes from further south.
