[proh-vuh-loh-nee] 
| a mellow light-colored, Italian cheese, usually smoked after drying. |
| pro·vo·lo·ne (prō'və-lō'nē) n. A hard, usually smoked Italian cheese. [Italian, augmentative of provola, a kind of cheese.] |
"Il nome non ha una derivazione precisa. L'etimologia, secondo alcuni, fa pensare alla parola napoletana prova-provola con cui in Campania viene indicato il classico latticino di bufala a pasta filata, da consumarsi fresco." ["Dieta Mediterranea"]
provolone
cow's-milk cheese from southern Italy. Provolone, like mozzarella, is a plastic curd cheese; the curd is mixed with heated whey and kneaded to a smooth, semisoft consistency, often molded into fanciful shapes such as pigs, fruits, or sausages. The brown, oily rind of provolone is wrapped in cords, which impress grooves in the rind, and hung to ripen. They are often seen on display in Italian food shops. The creamy yellow interior of provolone is smooth and pliable.
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