Strong
Taste and flavour of strong Provolone Valpadana P.D.O.: the production and combinations
The strong Provolone Valpadana is maybe the best known version of this cheese. Its strong taste makes it a perfect ally in the kitchen for every kind of dish, from appetizers to main courses.
The strong Provolone Valpadana is in contrast to its mild twin, characterized by a more delicate taste.
The strong is a spun paste cheese, so called because of its processing method that provides, in addition to the classic aging, the spinning.
SALAMI
MELON-PEAR
TRUNCATED-CONE
FLASK
It is the months of rest that give the strong Provolone Valpadana its typical taste.
How to produce
The strong Provolone Valpadana has a production process that starts in the same way as its mild version. In fact, the milk is enriched with whey from the previous processing.
At this point the magic happens: the milk is coagulated with kid and/or lamb rennet, and the curd is left to rest until it reaches the right spinning pH. The paste is shaped and placed in special moulds to cool in cold water and then in brine.
The seasoning
After salting in brine it is time for the seasoning: while for the mild version it can last up to 60/90 days, in the case of strong Provolone Valpadana it can last even more than 12 months.
It is during this time that the Provolone Valpadana reaches its high intensity of taste and aroma.
Couplings
The strong Valpadana Provolone Valpadana thanks to its strong taste finds its perfect match in full-bodied wines such as Aglianico, Gattinara and Barbera d’Asti.
As concerns food, on the other hand, it is good to combine it with delicate flavours, in order to obtain a balanced overall taste. In our recipes section you can find lots of ideas to use it in the kitchen!
The appearance of strong Provolone Valpadana P.D.O.: shapes and weight
After all the tying and branding operations, the strong Provolone Valpadana has a brownish yellow colour, a hard and thin crust and an interior with a marked flaking.
This makes this strong cheese variant an ideal dish to serve both alone and as an accompaniment to numerous recipes.
The shapes can also be varied. The most typical ones are those:
- Flask-shaped
- Truncated-cone
- Salami
- Melon-pear
The weight can range from a few ounces to over 100 kg. Strong Provolone Valpadana is also available in supermarkets in pre-packaged format, always accompanied by the protected designation of origin and the authorization number that the Consortium releases to the packer.
