Provolone

Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with a wide range of flavors, from provolone piccante (sharp, peppery), which is matured for at least four months and has a very sharp taste, to provolone dolce (sweet), which has a light taste. The characteristic peppery taste of provolone piccante is caused by lipase (an enzyme extracted from goats). Instead, the dolce version makes use of calf lipase. The European Union has granted protected designation of origin (PDO) to both provolone Valpadana and provolone del Monaco (meaning'monk's provolone'; from the Naples area of Italy), which means that no country other than Italy may legally produce a cheese with those names.