Source
r/Cheese•
solid-one-love

Aged provolone -- should it be this bitter?

A new cheesemaker just opened in my town and there's every indication that they know what they're doing. I thought that I was a bit of a cheese nut, too. My wife bought me half of an aged provolone, and it is ridiculously bitter. Like, the stuff you put on kids' fingernails to stop them from biting their nails? Like that, but even moreso.

Is it just something that's not to my taste? Or is there something actually wrong with the cheese?

Posted Jun 30, 2018, 3:25 AM UTC

52
foodforelliot•

I'm no cheese expert, however, my family has always had sharp provolone in our antipasto for Thanksgiving.

I could never really handle eating a large amount of it at once. I wouldn't say it's extremely bitter, however, the taste is very strong, and much different than other cheeses I have tasted.

I find it's a good cheese to eat small nibbles of if eaten plain.

5
panic_ye_not•

If it's really that bitter, I'd say that it's not a feature, it's a bug. It's also common for new cheesemakers to have problems with excessive bitterness, so the evidence suggests that it's not just you. That being said, an aged provolone should be more bitter than say, an aged cheddar, but it shouldn't be overpowering.

5