Provatura (pl.: provature) or provatura romana [1] is a fresh [1] Italian cheese from the Lazio region of Italy [2] made from buffalo milk by the pasta filata method. It is similar to mozzarella and provola. [2]
The name derives from the fact that the cheese is made from the prova (lit. 'test'), which is the part of the cheese mass used to test the quality of the pasta filata . [3] It is ovoid or round in shape, [3] about the size of an egg, [1] so much so that in ancient recipes a portion is often described as a "provatura egg". [4]
The first mention of this cheese is found in a 12th-century document kept in the bishop's archives of Capua. [3] The document, a medieval chronicle, states that the monks of the monastery of S. Lorenzo ad Septimum near Aversa offered the faithful a mozza or provatura with some bread on the feast of the patron saint. [5]
An antipasto with provatura is described in La singolare Dottrina, a gastronomic work by Domenico Romoli, a work known as "Panunto" or Il Panonto, published in 1560. [6]
The cheese has often been confused with mozzarella, as in a medical work of the Schola Medica Salernitana , published several times in the 16th century, where it is said that with buffalo milk "one makes those balls tied with rushes that are called mozze here and provature in Rome". [3]
According to Antonio Frugoli, a gastronome from Lucca who lived in the 17th century, author of the treatise Pratica e Scalcaria, [7] mozzarella and provatura are two different cheeses. In his work, which was published in two editions in 1631 and 1638, Frugoli devotes two different chapters to mozzarella and provatura (entitled respectively Ravaggiuolo, buffalo eggs and mozzarella, and their qualities in cooking, and Large and small provature, and their qualities in cooking) in the fourth book of the work, which is dedicated, among others, to dairy products. [8] Frugoli's description shows that this cheese can be fresh or matured, and that it has a lower water content and a higher amount of salt and rennet than mozzarella. [9] Because of this, according to Frugoli, who followed the humoral theory, provatura lacks the therapeutic properties that he instead acknowledges in mozzarella. [8]
As Ada Boni's classic Roman cookery manual La Cucina Romana shows, still in the early 20th century provatura played in the Italian capital's cuisine the role that mozzarella does today. [4]
Besides being eaten raw, in traditional Roman cuisine provatura is an ingredient of several typical dishes, such as crostini di provatura e alici and supplì . [4]
Mozzarella is a semi-soft non-aged cheese prepared by the pasta filata method with origins from southern Italy.
Carbonara is a pasta dish made with eggs, hard cheese, fatty cured pork, and black pepper. The dish took its modern form and name in the middle of the 20th century.
Fettuccine is a type of pasta popular in Roman cuisine. It is descended from the extremely thin capelli d'angelo of the Renaissance, but is a flat, thick pasta traditionally made of egg and flour. At about 6.5 mm, it is wider and thicker than, but similar to, the tagliatelle typical of Bologna, which are more common elsewhere in Italy and is often used as a synonym. Spinach fettuccine is made from spinach, flour, and eggs.
Rigatoni con la pajata is a classic dish of the Roman cuisine. It can be found in some traditional trattorias in Rome.
Parmigiana, also called parmigiana di melanzane, melanzane alla parmigiana or, in the United States, eggplant parmesan, is an Italian dish made with fried, sliced eggplant layered with cheese and tomato sauce, then baked. The origin of the dish is claimed by the Southern regions of Calabria, Campania, Apulia and Sicily. Other variations found outside Italy may include chicken, veal, or another type of meat cutlet or vegetable filling.
Sugo all'amatriciana or alla matriciana, also known as salsa all'amatriciana, is a traditional Italian pasta sauce based on guanciale, pecorino romano cheese, tomato, and, in some variations, onion. Originating from the town of Amatrice, the amatriciana is one of the best known pasta sauces in present-day Roman and Italian cuisine. The Italian government has named it a traditional agro-alimentary product of Lazio and amatriciana tradizionale is registered as a traditional speciality guaranteed in the EU and the UK.
Spaghetti and meatballs is an Italian-American dish consisting of spaghetti, tomato sauce and meatballs.
Bocconcini are small mozzarella cheese balls. Like other mozzarellas, they are semi-soft, white, and rindless unripened mild cheeses that originated in Naples and were once made only from the milk of Italian Mediterranean buffalo. Nowadays, they are usually made from a combination of buffalo and cow's milk. Bocconcini are packaged in whey or water, have a spongy texture, and absorb flavors.
Scamorza is a southern Italian cow's milk cheese. It can also be made from other milks, but that is less common. It is a stretched-curd cheese, in which the fresh curd matures in its own whey for several hours to allow acidity to develop through the conversion of lactose to lactic acid. Artisanal cheese makers generally form the cheese into a round shape, and then tie a string around the mass one third of the distance from the top, and hang it to dry. The resulting shape is pear-like. This is sometimes referred to as "strangling" the cheese. The cheese is usually white unless smoked. When smoked, the color is almond with a lighter interior.
Stracciatella di bufala is a cheese produced from Italian buffalo milk in the province of Foggia, located in the southern Italian region of Apulia, using a stretching and a shredding technique.
Pasta filata is a technique in the manufacture of a family of Italian cheeses also known in English as stretched-curd, pulled-curd, and plastic-curd cheeses. Stretched curd cheeses manufactured using the pasta filata technique undergo a plasticising and kneading treatment of the fresh curd in hot water, which gives the cheese its fibrous structure.
Supplì are Italian snacks consisting of a ball of rice with tomato sauce, typical of Roman cuisine.
Roman cuisine comes from the Italian city of Rome. It features fresh, seasonal and simply-prepared ingredients from the Roman Campagna. These include peas, globe artichokes and fava beans, shellfish, milk-fed lamb and goat, and cheeses such as pecorino romano and ricotta. Olive oil is used mostly to dress raw vegetables, while strutto and fat from prosciutto are preferred for frying. The most popular sweets in Rome are small individual pastries called pasticcini, gelato and handmade chocolates and candies. Special dishes are often reserved for different days of the week; for example, gnocchi is eaten on Thursdays, baccalà on Fridays, and trippa on Saturdays.
Macaroni cheese pie is a casserole dish based on baked macaroni and cheese. Primary ingredients may include elbow macaroni, cheese, and milk.
Cacio e pepe is a pasta dish typical of the Lazio region of Italy. Cacio e pepe means 'cheese and pepper' in several central Italian dialects. In keeping with its name, the dish contains grated pecorino romano and black pepper, together with tonnarelli or spaghetti. All the ingredients keep well for a long time, which made the dish practical for shepherds without fixed abode. Rough-surfaced pasta is recommended to make the sauce adhere well.
Stracciatella, also known as stracciatella alla romana, is an Italian soup consisting of meat broth and small shreds of an egg-based mixture, prepared by drizzling the mixture into boiling broth and stirring. It is popular around Rome, in the Lazio region of central Italy. A similar soup, called zanzarelli, was described by Martino da Como in his 15th century manual The Art of Cooking. Other variants exist.
Apulian cuisine consists of the cooking traditions and practices of the region of Apulia in Italy. Starting from the Middle Ages the permanent residence of the nobility in the region gradually declined, which caused the disappearance of their noble cuisine over time. As the common people suffered from poverty, their culinary tradition adapted to use cheap and simple foods. Bread, vegetables and pasta have the leading role in the cuisine. Fruits, fish and wine are consumed frequently as well, but meat plays a minor role. The food of Apulia is known as a prime example of cucina povera or 'cuisine of the poor', characterizing its simplicity rather than its quality. Moreover, the simple dishes allow the quality of their local and seasonal ingredients to take center stage.
