an important cheese of southern Italy, closely related to caciocavallo. It is made from whole cow's milk and comes in a variety of shapes: cone or pear shaped, round like a melon, and cylindrical. The weight is typically from 1 to 6 kg (2 to 13 lb), but enormous cheeses to which the name provolone gigante applies are sometimes made.
There are three sorts of provolone: mild, sharp, and smoked. The smoked sort may be mild or sharp. All have a higher fat content (45%) than that of caciocavallo. Another difference between the two is that at an age when caciocavallo has already graduated from a table to a grating cheese provolone will still be suitable for table use.
Production of provolone is not confined to the south. There is also a provolone Lombardo, from the region of Brescia and Cremona. And cheeses of the same type and name are made in the USA.
Alan Davidson was a distinguished author and publisher, and one of the world's best-known writers on fish and fish cookery. In 1975 he retired early from the diplomatic service—after serving in, among other places, Washington, Egypt, Tunisia, and Laos, where he was British Ambassador—to pursue a fruitful second career as a food historian and food writer extraordinaire. Among his popular books are Seafood of South-East Asia, North Atlantic Seafood, and Mediterranean Seafood. In 2003, shortly before his death, he was awarded the Erasmus Prize for his contribution to European culture.
