I have a friend who is a full blooded Italian and she was lamenting that she couldn’t find a type of cheese in Florida, but I didn’t catch the name of it. She said that the common replacement was provologne, and what she was looking for sounded like “prevol” but quick wikipedia and google searches rendered no immediate aid.
Any ideas?
Thanks!
– IG
I have no idea, but here’s a suggestion. (The word is related to provolone but the cheese seems to be a bit different.)
provola (first syllable stressed)
s. f. formaggio a pasta filata semidura, per lo più di latte di bufala, che si mangia fresco o affumicato; è specialità dell’Italia meridionale. DIM. provolina, provoletta.
semi-correct translation:
n.f. a (semi-soft layered???) cheese, for the most part made of buffalo milk, which is eaten fresh or smoked; it’s a specialty of southern Italy. Diminutives provolina, provoletta.
It isn’t provel cheese, is it?
Could be one of several varieties called “provolo”, which are listed in Wikipedia under an exhaustive list of Italian cheeses. There’s also one similarly called “Provula Casale”, according to Wikipedia.
Well, pasta filata means that while the cheese is still warm curd, it is stretched or kneaded to align the protein strands. Mozzarella would be a fresh version of this, provolone a more aged version. Smoked provolone is sometimes available 'round here. I doubt that you will be able to find the authentic version of it.
Provel was indeed what I was looking for! Thanks!
– IG
The thread title made me envision a priest standing before a baptismal fount in a church, holding a cheese which is wrapped in a lacy blanket. He asks the proud parents, “Name this cheese.” 