Provel cheese explained

Provel cheese
Country:United States
Town:St. Louis
Source:Cows

Provel is a white processed cheese prominent in St. Louis cuisine.[1] A combination of cheddar, Swiss, provolone,[2] [3] [4] and liquid smoke, Provel has a low melting point and a gooey texture and buttery flavor.

Provel cheese is the traditional topping for St. Louis–style pizza. It is also used in pasta sauces, cheese soup, salads, and sandwiches such as the Gerber sandwich.

Provel is rarely used or sold outside of St. Louis.[5] Provel can be purchased at St. Louis-area grocery stores such as Schnucks or Dierbergs Markets, and Hy-Vee grocery stores across the Midwest.

History

Provel was purportedly invented for St. Louis–style pizza in the 1940s by Costa Grocery (now Roma Grocery on the Hill), in collaboration with Hoffman Dairy of Wisconsin (now part of Kraft Foods), according to St. Louis Post-Dispatch food writer Joe Bonwich. Provel was developed to meet demand for a pizza cheese with a clean bite, melting well while breaking off nicely when cut or bitten. Imo's Pizza founder Ed Imo claims credit for popularizing Provel through his chain.[6]

Neither Kraft Foods nor Roma Grocery has a definitive answer for the origin of the name, although one popular theory is that it is a portmanteau of the words provolone and mozzarella, two of the cheeses for which it is substituted.[7]

Trademark

The Provel name trademark was first used in 1947 and held by the Churny Company, Inc. of Glenview, Illinois. Churny later became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kraft Foods[8] after it was closed in 2012.[9]

In 2021, Lactalis acquired Hoffman Dairy from Kraft.[10] As of 2024, Lactalis holds the Provel name trademark,[11] but does not appear to be using this name: Hoffman's Pizza Cheese is simply known as "2/5 LB St. Louis Style Pizza Cheese" in the Lactalis Culinary catalogue.[12]

Distribution

Imo's Pizza acquired Costa's Grocery, which had the sole rights to sell Provel in St. Louis,[6] some time between 1964 and 1985.[13] Imo's continues to package and sell shredded Provel cheese to end customers, as of 2024.[14]

See also

External links

Notes and References

  1. Book: The Lexicon of Real American Food - Jane Stern, Michael Stern - Google Books . 9780762760947 . 2016-11-03 . 2013-10-31 . https://web.archive.org/web/20131031191813/http://books.google.com/books?id=mHBVnMl3nMkC&pg=PT224&lpg=PT224&dq=provel+cheese&source=bl&ots=-K6Vddd2FQ&sig=9-5z6eICzCFo7pFi0_bgsOugDt8&hl=en&sa=X&ei=pGplUMvKA6WViQL9soDwCQ&ved=0CD0Q6AEwAg#v=onepage&q=provel%20cheese&f=false . live . Stern . Jane . Stern . Michael . 2011 . Lyons Press .
  2. Book: Hulin, Belinda . The Everything Pizza Cookbook: 300 Crowd-Pleasing Slices of Heaven . 2007 . F+W Publications, Inc. . 978-1598692594 . 7 . September 30, 2012 . May 21, 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20220521211938/https://books.google.com/books?id=pZAv_kYu-9UC&q=provel . live .
  3. Web site: Provelology: The study of a made-up cheese with a made-up name . Bonwich . Joe . 2012 . 2013-06-21 . 2018-05-23 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180523145930/http://www.stltoday.com/lifestyles/food-and-cooking/provelology-the-study-of-a-made-up-cheese-with-a/article_d033b816-b856-5d5c-a8ca-a3c6592db4f0.html . live .
  4. Web site: A Brief History Of Provel . Veety . Andrew . 2013-06-21 . 2010 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160925171131/http://www.andrewmarkveety.com/2010/08/a-brief-history-of-provel.html . 2016-09-25 . dead .
  5. Web site: One City's Love Affair With Processed Cheese. NPR. 15 February 2013 . 2016-07-21. 2019-08-16. https://web.archive.org/web/20190816163418/https://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2013/02/13/171942864/one-city-s-love-affair-with-processed-cheese. live. Greenblatt . Alan .
  6. Web site: Benetti . Asonta . How Salty-Velvety Provel Cheese Became a St. Louis Icon . Bon Appétit . 6 April 2022.
  7. Web site: Bonwich . Joe . October 28, 2004 . Review: Amici's . https://web.archive.org/web/20071021085744/http://www.stltoday.com/stltoday/entertainment/reviews.nsf/restaurant/story/CDA00A37412E2F7286256F3A003576FD?OpenDocument&Headline=The+pros+and+cons+of+Provel . October 21, 2007 . 2023-11-29 . St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  8. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1545158/000119312512304792/d317589dex211.htm LIST OF SUBSIDIARIES OF KRAFT FOODS GROUP, INC.
  9. https://waupacanow.com/2012/06/13/kraft-foods-to-close-churny/ Kraft Foods to close Churny
  10. Web site: Lactalis Closes Acquisition of Kraft Heinz Natural Cheese Business in United States . November 29, 2021 . 13 November 2024.
  11. Web site: Trademark Status & Document Retrieval . tsdr.uspto.gov.
  12. Web site: Flavored Loaves - Lactalis Culinary . www.lactalisculinary.com . en.
  13. Web site: Imo's History . en-US. 24 August 2024.
  14. Web site: Shredded Provel Cheese . Imo's Pizza . Ingredients: cultured pasteurized milk and part-skim milk, water, sodium phosphate, salt, milkfat, CONTAINS LESS THAN 0.5% OF lactic acid, sorbic acid as a preservative, enzymes, smoke flavor, anticake (powdered cellulose)..

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