His Majesty Provolone del Monaco: a bit of history

Provolone del Monaco is a PDO-certified product with a unique flavor and a fascinating history. It is said that the master cheesemakers, arriving at the port of Naples at dawn from the Sorrentine Peninsula, would cover themselves with sackcloth cloaks to protect themselves from the cold and humidity, thus earning them the nickname "monks" from the market workers who saw them arrive. From this, in turn, came the name "provolone del monaco" for the cheese the cheesemakers transported.

Its production dates back to around 1700, a period when the expansion of the city of Naples led to a massive migratory phenomenon: many farmers living in the countryside moved to the Lattari Mountains to continue raising livestock and cultivating fields. This is how the processing of certain cheeses, which later became particularly renowned, such as provolone and caciocavallo, began. Provolone del Monaco PDO is a semi-hard stretched-curd cheese, aged for a minimum of six months and produced with raw milk from cows (at least 20% of which are of the "Agerolese" breed) raised exclusively in specific municipalities in the province of Naples, and particularly in the Lattari Mountains and the Sorrentine Peninsula: Agerola, Casola di Napoli, Castellammare di Stabia, Gragnano, Lettere, Massa Lubrense, Meta, Piano di Sorrento, Pimonte, Sant’Agnello, Sorrento, Santa Maria La Carità, Vico Equense.

The special virtues and healing properties of milk from those areas were known since ancient times. The philosopher and physician Claudius Galen (129 AD), for example, recommended administering this food to combat tuberculosis. And later, Magnus Flavius Aurelius Cassiodorus (500 AD) also extolled its benefits.

Most of that milk, as there were no preservation technologies then, was destined for cheese production, mainly aged products, as they were less perishable. This was due to the need for improvised merchant farmers to travel to Naples to sell their cheese, which, being quite expensive for the times, found no market in its area of origin. A journey that began in the dead of night, with the provolones transported on the backs of mules to the beaches, then loaded onto rowing boats and taken to the port of Naples in search of buyers.

Provolone del Monaco, which ranges in size between 2.5 and 8 kg, has a sweet flavor with slight spicy notes. A series of factors determine the unmistakable taste and aroma of this product: the organoleptic characteristics of the milk, the transformation process which still rigorously follows the artisanal method, and the particular microclimate of the processing and aging environments. The prized cheese is perfect both to be eaten on its own and to be used in cooking to enrich many recipes. For example, adding a few flakes of Provolone del Monaco is ideal for enhancing the taste experience of a traditional dish like pasta and potatoes. But, in whatever version it is presented, one thing is certain: it's impossible to resist!