Caciocavallo vs Provola
Caciocavallo
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
Caciocavallo is an Italian stretched-curd cheese made from cow's milk. The usual shape is a pear or a small gourd, with a narrow neck where a cord is tied. Makers hang the cheeses in pairs over a beam, and that pose explains the name. A thin natural rind covers a firm pale paste that slices cleanly. Young cheese is mild and supple, and older cheese turns drier, saltier, and fit for grating.
Provola
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
Provola is a semi-hard Italian cheese made from cow's milk in the stretched-curd tradition. Makers heat the curd and pull it until the paste is smooth, elastic, and able to hold a compact shape. A typical piece is smaller than a provolone, often pear-shaped or rounded, with a thin natural surface. Plain provola tastes mild and milky. Smoked provola, sold as provola affumicata, picks up a light brown color and a gentle wood-smoke aroma.