In the Lattari Mountains, between the Sorrento Peninsula and the Amalfi Coast, cattle farming is an ancient tradition. Up in Agerola, among pastures and woods, we discovered the cheese that best tells the story of these mountains: Provolone del Monaco DOP.
Why "del Monaco"
The name has a curious history. Cheesemakers used to take their cheeses to the market in Naples by sea, setting off at dawn. To protect themselves from the cold and damp they wrapped up in a large cloak resembling a friar's habit. At the port they were jokingly called "monaci" (monks), and their provolone became the "provolone del monaco", the monk's provolone.
The production area
Provolone del Monaco has been a Protected Designation of Origin since 2010. The area covers 13 municipalities in the province of Naples: Agerola, Casola di Napoli, Castellammare di Stabia, Gragnano, Lettere, Massa Lubrense, Meta, Piano di Sorrento, Pimonte, Sant'Agnello, Santa Maria la Carità, Sorrento and Vico Equense.
The milk and the Agerolese breed
It is made from raw cow's milk, at least 20% of which must come from Agerolese cows, a native breed of the Lattari Mountains. The rest can come from other breeds listed in the product specification, as long as they are raised within the production area.
Shape and ageing
It is a semi-hard stretched-curd cheese, shaped like an elongated melon or a pear without a head. It weighs between 2.5 and 8 kilos. The minimum ageing is six months, in cool rooms where the cheeses are cleaned regularly. The rind is thin and yellowish; the paste is soft and compact, with a sweet, buttery taste that becomes sharper over time.
In the kitchen
We enjoyed it most in shavings, on its own, with a red wine from the Sorrento Peninsula. In the kitchen it is a precious ingredient: it enriches pasta e patate, timballi and many traditional Neapolitan recipes. Keep it in the fridge, wrapped in food paper.
Where to taste it and what is nearby
Agerola is the starting point of The Path of the Gods, one of the most beautiful walks in Campania. Heading down to the coast you will find Sorrento: what to see, while in Gragnano Pasta di Gragnano PGI awaits you. For another protected stretched-curd cheese, read Caciocavallo Silano DOP; for a wine to pair with it, there is Penisola Sorrentina DOC. All the designations are in Campania's DOP and IGP products, and the province in Naples and its surroundings.
Sources: Qualigeo – Provolone del Monaco DOP; Application for registration (OJEU C 140/2009).
Photo at top (Agerola): Original uploader was User:Albertistvan at hu.wikipedia, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
