Provolone vs Ragusano
Provolone
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Semi-hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Waxed or sealed
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Southern Italy
Provolone is a stretched-curd cow's-milk cheese from southern Italy that is hung and aged. Dolce is young and mild. Piccante is older and sharper.
Ragusano
Facts
- Milk
- Cow
- Texture
- Hard
- Type
- Stretched curd
- Rind
- Natural rind
- Country
- Italy
- Place
- Sicily
- Status
- PDO
Ragusano is a firm cow's milk cheese from Sicily, in Italy, and the name is protected. It is a pasta filata cheese, so the curd is stretched in hot water and shaped while it is still elastic. The usual form is a large rectangular block with a thin smooth rind, not a round ball. A younger block is milder and more supple, and an older one turns savory and suits the grater. Both stages are the same cheese, and the age tells you how to use it.