It’s a cheese that shares with Fiordilatte the ancient origin and the production techniques that are very similar. Provola too is obtained from the transformation of raw cow milk and the origin of its name probably derives from the fact that it was the “attempt” (prova), that is the sample that was immersed in the boiling water to establish if the curd was ready for the kneading. Differently from Fiordilatte, it doesn’t have to be eaten fresh, but it can be kept for a longer time; this is probably why it was more famous in ancient times than Fiordilatte: and proof is its presence in the famous Neapolitan nativity scenes of ‘700 where Fiordilatte is totally absent. Provola, at the end of the transformation, has a longer kneading phase than Fiordilatte, to obtain a more consistent pulp, is left for a few minutes in a closed place in contact with the smoke that comes from humid burning hay, to acquire its taste, the color and flavor typical of smoke.