What do you get when you combine Cheddar, Swiss and Provolone into one gooey cheese? If you're a resident of Missouri, you probably already know, but for the rest of the country — allow us to enlighten you. We just can't keep our state secret or our undying love for this super tasty treat quiet any longer!
Provel was originally invented in St. Louis, Missouri back in 1947. (It is now owned by Kraft.) Local pizza owners turned to Costa Grocery (now known as Roma Grocery on the Hill) and the Hoffman Dairy of Wisconsin to help them create a cheese that melted, but didn't leave long "cheese strings" when you took a bite. Most typically found on IMO's pizzas, the cheese has been adopted by other Italian eateries around town. You can find message boards filled with praise for this white cheddar, swiss and provolone combination, and Missouri natives who have since moved elsewhere in the country are having this tangy taste sensation shipped to them to get their hometown-taste fix.
Provel, like American cheese, doesn't meet the FDA's requirements for moisture content in cheese, so it's labeled as a "Pasteurized processed cheese," but that doesn't stop anyone from enjoying its taste. It's softer than mozzarella and turns to lava once it hits the oven (and retains that temperature for a solid 10-15 minutes after being out of the oven). It makes pizza eating super tasty in many places around Missouri, but in our own personal kitchen, we use it to make the best macaroni and cheese ever.
We've heard of several pizza joints around the country using Provel (usually run by Missouri transplants) on their pies, so keep your eye out for it on a menu near you. It can be found in local grocers (and many in Chicago) by either the brick, the bag or in these tasty extruded "worms" which is our favorite way to eat it. It's like string cheese but not dry and far more satisfying. Oftentimes we buy two packages, one for snacking on and the other for use in an actual dish or meal.
There's a Facebook page dedicated to helping people track down the food outside of Missouri, but if that seems like too much work, next time you head to The Show Me State for business or pleasure, make sure to sample this tasty local ingredient!
Related: In Praise of American Cheese
(Images: Sarah Rae Trover, Wikipedia, Daniel Zemans for Serious Eats)
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Oh, yeah, on St. Louis style super thin crust! With bacon and pineapple! So bad, yet so good...
Am I the only person living in St. Louis that dislikes St. Louis style pizza and provel? I just don't understand the desire to eat pizza toppings and sauce on top of a cracker... makes me shudder.
As a St. Louis native living in Chicago - I always make sure to buy a pack of Provel at Schnucks in St. Louis before heading back north. Yummy!!
No. Just No. I was a California transplant living in St Louis for a few years, and could not understand the draw of this cheese. In fact, everyone I knew who was not from the area thought it to be disgusting. And the fact that they put it on EVERYTHING made it worse. I had to request salads and other items to be made without provel. And don't even get me started on the cardboard that masquerades as pizza at IMOs.
@watchmespin THANK YOU. It's so hard to hear co-workers and people I've met since moving here rave about IMOs and provel. It's terrible. I love the pizza restaurant Pi not only for their great pizza, but also because they refuse to use provel and servers wear anti-provel shirts. Awesome.
As a native St. Louisian, I hate this cheese on pizza, but think its pretty awesome cold on salads. Can't stand Imo's either...seems like you either love it or hate it. Definitely has a unique flavor you won't find anywhere else though!
I don't know... I'm not feeling the urge to get my hands on this. Maybe it's the "pasteurized process" clarifier.
I like it, but I can't get past how unhealthy it is, even for cheese. I have it 3 or 4 times a year.
Free-bird, you are not alone. Provel is the most disgusting dairy product since... well, ever. And I'm from St. Louis. :-)
The best way to describe it for those of you who've never tasted it and are wondering what the heck we're shuddering in revulsion from -- Provel cheese has a wang. You either love it or you hate it. The funny thing is, I love cheddar, swiss, and provolone on their own. When they're combined it is dastardly.
I've always wondered how can the city that produced toasted ravioli could have also invented Provel...
Strong feelings but as I'm sure the comments reveal, you either love or hate Provel!
@free-bird. Pi is good, but I really enjoy Dewey's, which is off of Delmar, a bit west of Big Bend. They don't use provel, and they have good chewy, doughy crust. Their calzones are great too.
I had a lot of food issues in St. Louis. It was hard to come by good ethnic food (even Italian! most of the stuff on the Hill is awful, but I enjoyed Cunettos). And don't even get me started on the produce -- it SUCKED. :(
I've never had this, but it does sound like it has potential for pizza since processed cheese often has a better melt than real cheese (and it is supposed to be tangy).
Still, I've lived in Japan for 20 years, and the stigma has definitely gone off of processed cheese since 99% of the cheese sold here is processed. It doesn't all have to be bad just because it's processed.
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http://japanesesnackreviews.blogspot.com/
I live in St. Louis and unfortunately, can't stand St. Louis style pizza or this Provel stuff :)
But if anyone wants to taste it, I can ship you some!
Oh my gosh...my CHILDHOOD! I love fancy pizza, but nothing hits the spot for this Chicago-by-way-of-STL transplant than cold Imo's with pineapple. Plus my highschool boyfriend worked there...sigh.
I was so excited when I saw this article! I'm from St. Louis and I grew up with provel cheese on pizzas and salads. Everyone in my family LOVES provel cheese; it was even a common item on our grocery list. Unfortunately once you leave the St. Louis area, the love for Provel cheese just doesn't exist. My husband knew someone from Boston who had tried an Imo's pizza and his friend replied "I wouldn't feed that s**t to my dogs." Haha, so Provel cheese is something people either love or hate; there doesn't seem to be too many people who are on the fence about it. A few other St. Louis local foods are toasted ravoli and gooey butter cake.
http://themodestkitchen.wordpress.com
Uck. I lived in STL for 5 years, and am glad I no longer have to go through "Is this made with provel? Could I please have mozzarella or even Parmesan instead? No? You don't have any other cheese in house? Then no 'cheese' please." every single time I ordered a salad, breadstick, pasta salad, or pizza.
I am a cheese lover, and the unnatural Pasturised Processed Cheese Product that is provel turns my stomach as it sticks to my teeth. The very first time I had Imo's, I wondered how or why someone would put white colored Velveeta onto a pizza. Did they run out of real cheese? Why didn't they have the courtesy to warn me?
@watchmespin
You need to go to South Grand for good Italian. Mangia Italiano is an absolute gem. They even make their own pasta and ice creams! ( http://www.dineatmangia.com/home.htm ) Most of the stuff on the Hill, aside from Cunetto, has become way too StLouisified.
Fortel's does a decent STL style pizza sans provel, and might be worth checking out.
*disclaimer: I'm married to a native St Louisan!)
I grew up in Colorado, and that pizza looks EXACTLY like the nasty pizza they served in my elementary school cafeteria. Yikes!
@watchmespin mmm dewey's. they're great too. i almost always like their seasonal pizzas.
@magdelane i might have to try mangia italiano sometime. anything that's not st. louis style is fine by me!
Provel and Imo's are good in moderation! I grew up in St. Louis and return there several times a year. I started to dislike provel during my snobby high school days, but now I love to have it when I visit and I appreciate it for what it is. I agree that Mangia definitely is the best Italian place in town, and a lot of places on the Hill aren't that great. But it's St. Louis Italian and it has it's place, IMHO. Fortel's has good pizza too, so check that out. I haven't been to Pi yet--it's on the agenda for this summer. But Deweys? It's fine and everything, but nothing you couldn't get in any other pizza place in any other city in the country. What I like about St. Louis style pizza is that it hasn't become like pizza everywhere else. It's resisted the McDonaldsization of food, if you will. Preserve regional specialties! Transplants often don't like the regional specialties and bond about how uncouth the locals are. I lived in Cincinnati for two years and found their chili to be disgusting, but it is what it is. No offense to anyone, but I couldn't let St. Louis and provel get bad mouthed unabated!
ohbriggsy.wordpress.com
I've been thinking about moving to St. Louis to work at the botanical gardens... is it a good place to live? Do you like it there? It seems like the right size for me (not a fan of huge cities, but like mid to small urban places).
Not strictly on provel topic, but I would love to hear what you think! :)
Ha! My friend tells me "Friends don't let friends eat Provel."
I didn't like Imo's the first time I had it. I was expecting what I normally think of as pizza, and St. Louis-style pizza is not that. But later, a craving hit, and it was for Imo's. It's not something I want often, but when I want it, I WANT it. I moved out of Missouri last fall, and guess what, I miss Imo's!
I never did adjust to Fortel's, though. Is it just me, or is their pizza always wet? Like, not greasy, but wet? Weird. Agreed enthusiastically on Dewey's, though.
I also miss baked mostaccioli, and pronouncing it muskacholi, 'cause that's how the locals do it. And Springfield-style cashew chicken. And gooey butter cake. And roshky. And Luebeley's Bakery. And St. Louis Wok. And Schlafly beer. Uh-oh. You caught me on a homesick day.
Sturgeongeneral-- the Botanical Gardens are wonderful, and I hear they are a great place to work!
I lived in StL for a year and have lots of friends and family in the area. My husband is in grad school, or we would be back in a heartbeat. I found it to be an extremely friendly city. I think of it as a cross between Minneapolis and New Orleans, if that makes any sense. Yet like a giant small town. There are a lot of old families, a lot of historic districts, and people in St. Louis tend to love St. Louis. Like most cities that size, there are a lot of suburbs, but it seemed to me that even people in the suburbs maintained ties to the city itself in one way or another-- a favorite bakery, an old neighborhood, a constant craving for Bosnian bread, whatever. The architecture is amazing. And the zoo is free!
Matchbookhymnal- thanks for the input! I've only visited the city once as a teenager, so I don't have any clear memories of it. I'm in grad school too, and I want to make a smart move once I'm finished. I came to Phoenix to finish my B.S. and just can't wait to get out. Ever summer it feels like I'm being slow-cooked... I want to get out before I turn into a pot of chili.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to visit St. Louis in the next year, and go to the zoo for free! :)
There is this rivalry...The Cubs vs. the Cardinals. That is what this cheese is to the other cheeses in the United States. You only really get it if you are a true "St. Louisan". If you go outside of the St. Louis area, Provel is as rare as Toasted Ravioli or Pork Steaks. Provel is a hidden treasure of the midwest. It is the greatest. Any pizza is good. I have never had pizza I hated, but a perfect pizza in St. Louis has Provel on it. St. Louis is underrated in the food world for 2 things. Italian food and BBQ. We have some of the best and most unique approach to both. Maybe it is just because I appreciate good quality food, but I don't know how you can talk down on Provel cheese.