After visiting a Gorgonzola factory in Italy, we had the opportunity to visit Auricchio, one of the best-selling Provolone producers in the world. This cheese business is crazy stuff. SO much going on in these factories… I’m telling ya, you’d be amazed. Provolone is a whole-milk cow cheese. 15 milk trucks a day deliver 400 tons of milk, which in turn makes 40 tons of cheese. Provolone is a semi-hard cheese with taste varying greatly from Provolone Piccante (sharp) to Provolone Dolce (sweet). The sharp provolone is made only by hand. The process was fun to watch. One guy gets the cheese all nice and smooth by folding it over and over and rounding it into a big ball.
Then he calls his buddy over and says, “Hey, I’ll buy you a glass of Chianti after work if you help me roll this into a big, long cylinder shape.”
Together, they pick up the cheese and place it into a metal cannister, which will help it to keep its shape.
Isn’t that amazing? They do this all day long… 6.5 hour shifts/6 days a week doing exactly what you see here. I’ve been complaining about my arms lately, but if I worked their job I don’t think I’d have any worries (good workout!) The cannisters are transferred to a big machine that will dip a whole bunch of them into cool water (to harden the form), then they’re dipped in warmer water, where the cheese will slide out and go into a brine for 20 days.
To make sharp provolone, it is aged for a minimum of 4 months. There is aging provolone all over their company, from floor to ceiling, in all different shapes and sizes.
Yeah, even cheese that is this big. What the heck they do with this, I have no idea.
This was interesting- a giant bell… made out of provolone, painted/decorated with food-safe paint & with “Auricchio” boldly emblazoned on all sides. When I asked what they use these 100 pound cheese bells for, I was told that they sell 3,000 per year. Apparently, they’re popular to display as a table decoration for holidays in Italy. And then people eat them, of course. Hmmm.
Lots of different machines cut the provolone into all different shapes for packaging.
After the tour, Mr. Auricchio himself showed us his favorite place to eat lunch (one of those restaurants in Italy that you would never, ever find on your own as a tourist). Mr. Auricchio is a man full of life and personality. He sat at the head of the table and had our full attention with his stories and gregarious nature.
He asked the restaurant to make us tortelli (ravioli) stuffed with Auricchio’s sweet provolone. They complied. We had a lot of pasta while in Italy. None of it had sauce. None of it needed any. This pasta was sauteed in butter with a little bit of sage. And it was perfect.
I hope you enjoyed seeing the process of making provolone. We tasted a lot of it on the trip and I’ve purchased the sharp variety of Auricchio at Sam’s Club since I’ve returned. The sharp variety is just that… it has a strong, sharp flavor, and a little of it goes a long way. I think you really have to be a fan of Provolone to enjoy the sharp on its own, but it’s fabulous when it’s incorporated into recipes. I love the stuff myself. I’ve purchased competitor brands of provolone in the U.S. before, and I have to say that they really can’t compare. They either have very little flavor or are too much over-the-top with the strong flavor. Look for this brand, and give it a try! Be sure to read about my visit to the Italian Asiago factory too!
I’m loving these posts, Lori. What fun to see the photos..I felt as though I was there with you.
I agree so completely about too much sauce on pasta! Sometimes I just use butter, herbs and cheese, no sauce at all.
The pasta looks incredible. Seriously, I’m drooling.
Lori, you were blessed to be invited on this trip. You could have only come back richer with all the memories and endless food inspiration!
You have landed a very cool spot visiting these cheese places. I love the photos – they’re great. And the food, oh the food.
Not only do your recipes look wonderful, but it is so fun to walk through the provolone process with you. This was such a great first hand learning experience for you, thanks for sharing it with us! xo
Very interesting. Is the sharp provolone strong like an Asiago? I’ve only ever had the soft, mild variety that is enjoyed on a sandwich.
@Barbara, Well, that depends which Asiago you’re tasting! The Asiago (next post!) that we tasted in Italy was a bit softer and milder than the rock hard stuff that you mostly find in the US. Sam’s Club imports this Asiago. Domestically produced sharp provolone “typically” is much stronger and sharp tasting (sharp like an extra- sharp cheddar), but the imported version is not quite so extreme… it’s still sharp, but slightly milder- perfect for recipes.
It’s only 8am and all I want to do is eat provolone! Might have to make that sandwich for lunch. What a great post, love the photos!
To tour the establishments where they actuially make these cheeses would be a once in a life time big deal Laurie.
OMG!!! I’m speechless, Lori. Huge thanks for sharing such a informative post about cheese factory. I wish I would visit to Italy and cheese factory some day in my life! 🙂
Now, looking forward to your recipes. 🙂
What do you mean about none of the pasta containing sauce? The pasta dish you got from the restaurant looks like it has a butter sauce on it. It looks completely amazing, too! I love how simple it looks.
I love the idea of the terra cotta bowl housing the cheese. I hope SAM’S Club still plan to offer smaller portions of this cheese and not just have larger ones. There are still people out there with only one or two people per household.
Thanks for this great post! I can’t wait to go back to Italy and try out more pasta dishes.
@Memoria, We had a discussion w/ one of the cheese company owners where he explained to us that they feel that Americans ruin pasta by covering it with so much sauce that you cannot taste the pasta. In this particular dish pictured, the tortelli was simply sauteed in butter and sage- no heavy sauce. It was heavenly!
I’m not sure what the decision will be regarding the size of the dish. My point in providing feedback was that Sam’s Club is a “club” store, tending to provide products in larger/bulk portions. I thought that a larger portion of this product would make more sense. It would seem more appropriate to let a smaller-scale store carry the scaled-down product. We’ll have to wait and see what they decide. I look forward to it whatever it is!