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Provolone Cheese

Provolone Cheese
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Provolone is an Italian cheese that originated in Casilli near Vesuvius, where it is still produced in shapes varying from 10 to 15 cm long pear, sausage, or cone shapes.

Provolone-type cheeses are also produced in other countries. The most important provolone production region is Northern Italy. Provolone, provola, and provoleta are versions of the same basic cheese.

The term provolone (meaning large provola) appeared around the end of the 19th century, when it started to be manufactured in the southern regions of Italy, and this cheese assumed its current large size. The smaller sized variant is called provola and comes in plain and smoked varieties.

Modern provolone is a full-fat cow's milk cheese with a smooth skin, produced mainly in the Po River Valley regions of Lombardia and Veneto. It is produced in different shapes: like a very large sausage which may be up to 30 cm in diameter and 90 cm long, in a truncated bottle shape, and in a large pear shape with the characteristic round knob for hanging. The typical weight is 5 kg.

Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with taste varying greatly from provolone piccante (sharp/piquant), aged for a minimum of four months and with a very sharp taste, to provolone dolce (sweet) with a very mild taste. In provolone piccante, the distinctive piquant taste is produced with lipase (enzyme) derived from goat. The Dolce version uses calf's lipase instead.

Both provolone valpadana and provolone del Monaco have received the DOP seal from the European Community.

In Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia and Uruguay, small discs of locally-produced pulled-curd provolone of 10 to 15 cm in diameter and 1 to 2 cm in height are sometimes grilled until partially melted and eaten as a starter, often seasoned with herbs. The cheese when served this way is often called provoleta in Spanish.

Nutrition Data for Cheese, provolone (01035)

Proximates
NutrientNutrient value per 100 gm1 cup, diced1 oz1 cubic inch1 slice (1 oz)1 package (6 oz)
Water40.95 g54.054 g11.609325 g6.9615 g11.466 g69.615 g
Energy351 kcal463.32 kcal99.5085 kcal59.67 kcal98.28 kcal596.7 kcal
Protein25.58 g33.7656 g7.25193 g4.3486 g7.1624 g43.486 g
Total lipid (fat)26.62 g35.1384 g7.54677 g4.5254 g7.4536 g45.254 g
Carbohydrate, by difference2.14 g2.8248 g0.60669 g0.3638 g0.5992 g3.638 g
Fiber, total dietary0 g0 g0 g0 g0 g0 g
Sugars, total0.56 g0.7392 g0.15876 g0.0952 g0.1568 g0.952 g
Minerals
NutrientNutrient value per 100 gm1 cup, diced1 oz1 cubic inch1 slice (1 oz)1 package (6 oz)
Calcium, Ca756 mg997.92 mg214.326 mg128.52 mg211.68 mg1285.2 mg
Iron, Fe0.52 mg0.6864 mg0.14742 mg0.0884 mg0.1456 mg0.884 mg
Magnesium, Mg28 mg36.96 mg7.938 mg4.76 mg7.84 mg47.6 mg
Phosphorus, P496 mg654.72 mg140.616 mg84.32 mg138.88 mg843.2 mg
Potassium, K138 mg182.16 mg39.123 mg23.46 mg38.64 mg234.6 mg
Sodium, Na876 mg1156.32 mg248.346 mg148.92 mg245.28 mg1489.2 mg
Zinc, Zn3.23 mg4.2636 mg0.915705 mg0.5491 mg0.9044 mg5.491 mg
Vitamins
NutrientNutrient value per 100 gm1 cup, diced1 oz1 cubic inch1 slice (1 oz)1 package (6 oz)
Vitamin C, total ascorbic acid0 mg0 mg0 mg0 mg0 mg0 mg
Thiamin0.019 mg0.02508 mg0.0053865 mg0.00323 mg0.00532 mg0.0323 mg
Riboflavin0.321 mg0.42372 mg0.0910035 mg0.05457 mg0.08988 mg0.5457 mg
Niacin0.156 mg0.20592 mg0.044226 mg0.02652 mg0.04368 mg0.2652 mg
Vitamin B-60.073 mg0.09636 mg0.0206955 mg0.01241 mg0.02044 mg0.1241 mg
Folate, DFE10 µg13.2 µg2.835 µg1.7 µg2.8 µg17 µg
Vitamin B-121.46 µg1.9272 µg0.41391 µg0.2482 µg0.4088 µg2.482 µg
Vitamin A, RAE236 µg311.52 µg66.906 µg40.12 µg66.08 µg401.2 µg
Vitamin A, IU880 IU1161.6 IU249.48 IU149.6 IU246.4 IU1496 IU
Vitamin E (alpha-tocopherol)0.23 mg0.3036 mg0.065205 mg0.0391 mg0.0644 mg0.391 mg
Vitamin D (D2 + D3)0.5 µg0.66 µg0.14175 µg0.085 µg0.14 µg0.85 µg
Vitamin D20 IU26.4 IU5.67 IU3.4 IU5.6 IU34 IU
Vitamin K (phylloquinone)2.2 µg2.904 µg0.6237 µg0.374 µg0.616 µg3.74 µg
Lipids
NutrientNutrient value per 100 gm1 cup, diced1 oz1 cubic inch1 slice (1 oz)1 package (6 oz)
Fatty acids, total saturated17.078 g22.54296 g4.841613 g2.90326 g4.78184 g29.0326 g
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated7.393 g9.75876 g2.0959155 g1.25681 g2.07004 g12.5681 g
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated0.769 g1.01508 g0.2180115 g0.13073 g0.21532 g1.3073 g
Cholesterol69 mg91.08 mg19.5615 mg11.73 mg19.32 mg117.3 mg
Others
NutrientNutrient value per 100 gm1 cup, diced1 oz1 cubic inch1 slice (1 oz)1 package (6 oz)
Caffeine0 mg0 mg0 mg0 mg0 mg0 mg
U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. 2013. USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference, Release 26. Nutrient Data Laboratory Home Page
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