Characteristics of Provolone Valpadana P.D.O.
The characteristics of Provolone Valpadana P.D.O.: shapes, dimensions and moulding
Spins, transforms and shapes. This is how the curd is processed today in the dairies of Provolone Valpadana.
But this was also the case in the past, in the mountains and plateaus of our South, when the provolone was the ” test” cheese, which was used to test the “spinning” on the curd and see if it was suitable to make the most important cheese, the caciocavallo.
The spinning of the cheese is still the crucial moment in the making of Provolone Valpadana P.D.O.: the result is a ribbon, then wrapped around itself and finally shaped so that no air bubbles remain inside.
SALAMI
MELON-PEAR
TRUNCATED-CONE
FLASK
A procedure that does not involve hurry: because quality needs time
Forms and types of Provolone Valpadana P.D.O.
The moulding designates the shape (salami, melon, truncated cone, pear, also surmounted by a spherical head, or flask) and the size (from a few ounces to over 100 kilos), as well as the type of rennet (of bovine or ovine origin) put in the milk will determine the birth of a mild or strong Provolone Valpadana, which can subsequently be turned into either the smoked or aged strong variety.
Marking and binding
Another of the characteristics of Provolone Valpadana that make it iconic is that of marking and binding, processes that take place at the end of production. While the second is a custom that goes back centuries, but still resists today, the first is done by means of a guarantee seal that must be affixed to all forms of certified product, in order to protect the quality and excellence of this cheese.
Shapes and formats of a “test” signed Valpadana
The shaping models, and it is right to say so, because the shapes of Provolone Valpadana, rounded and sinuous, recall the animated curves of soft and sculpted maidens.
And in fact it will be a triumph of shapes, picturesque and varied, but always unequivocally of Provolone Valpadana, to parade in the maturing and shipping warehouses.
This is the Provolone Valpadana, aware of its past and proud of its status today as a versatile and modern cheese, which the international gastronomy appreciates and admirers are not missing: mild or strong, a few days or long matured, mandarin or cylindrical.
