Provola

Product A fresh, stringy cheese with an uncooked paste.

Milk The cheese is produced throughout the year from the unskimmed cow's milk of two milkings.

Origin The cheese originated in Campania, apparently even before Mozzarella made its appearance.

Processing The processing is similar to that used in making Mozzarella. The milk is heated and rennet is added. The curds are then cut into pieces and allowed to drain in hemp bags suspended from wooden trestles. The curds are left to "work" in the bags for a period ranging from one to three days. The "fermentation" of the cheese is completed when a piece of the paste forms a thread without breaking when it is put in boiling water. The curds are then cut in strips, which are soaked in boiling water and mixed to give the cheese elasticity. At that point, the filatura is carried out, an operation that can only be performed manually. The cheese-maker takes the pieces and stretches them, as if he were making spun sugar. The objective is to eliminate the greatest possible amount of whey. The cheeses are then plunged into cold water to cool them and allow them to firm. They are next immersed in brine for a period that varies according to the degree of saltiness desired. Finally, the cheeses that are to be smoked are tied wih a raffia cord and hung up to dry for about 10 minutes in a humid, smoke-filled room that is heated to 40°-50° C. (104-122° F.).

History The name of the cheese is derived from an ancient tradition, the pruvatura or pruvula. When the full chapter of religious assembled at the convent of San Lorenzo in Capua in the province of Caserta, it was the practice to offer them a taste of the cheese on a piece of bread as a proof or test of its goodness. Provola was the first Campanian cheese with a stringy paste of which we have notice. It often figured in the famous Neapolitan presepi (nativity scenes), while Mozzarella seldom appeared in them.