Provola is an Italian cheese that's essentially the smaller version of Provolone. The cheese is made from cow's milk and originates from Campania. This pasta filata cheese is typically immersed in brine, and some of the cheeses are smoked (known as Provola affumicata) before being hung to dry for at least 4 months.

The flavors can vary from mild and sweet to very sharp, depending on the aging period and the region. Apart from being available in plain and smoked varieties, Provola can also be found in various elongated shapes. The name of the cheese is derived from pruvula or pruvatura, an ancient tradition in which the priests who had assembled at the convent of San Lorenzo in Capua were offered cheese on a piece of bread as a proof of its good qualities. 

The origins of Provolone Valpadana date back to the early 1800s and the Unification of Italy, when people from the South started migrating towards the Po Valley and brought the tradition of dairy cattle farming and the technique for stretched-curd cheese production with them.

Provolone Valpadana is nowadays produced all across Northern Italy; it is made with whole cow's milk and available in two varieties, Dolce (sweet) and Piccante (piquant), both of which can be Affumicato (smoked). Aged for 2-3 months, Provolone Dolce has a delicate flavor and goes well with young, fruity wines, while Provolone Piccante is matured for at least 4 months and paired with aged, red wines, since it has a much sharper, tangy flavor. 

San Simón da Costa is a cheese made from raw or pasteurized cow's milk of the Galician blond, Swiss brown, and Friesian breeds in the District of Terra Chá, in the province of Lugo. It is sold in two versions; large, which is aged for a minimum of 45 days, weighing between 0,8 and 1,5 kg, and the smaller Bufón, aged for at least 30 days with a final weight of between 0,4 and 0,8 kg.

This cheese acquires its typical ochre-yellow color and aroma through the smoking process, for which only birch from the local woods is used. It is sometimes immersed in olive oil to inhibit the growth of mold. For an interesting twist, the young and smoky San Simón da Costa is best enjoyed with homebaked bread and sweet caramelized apple marmalade.

Ahumado de Pría is a Spanish cheese hailing from Asturias. The cheese is made from a mixture of cow's milk and sheep's milk cream. It's usually left to age from 2 to 6 months, and after 2 months it's smoked over beech and oak. Originally, the cheese was produced in shepherd's huts.

Underneath its natural rind, the texture is dense, smooth, elastic, and creamy. The flavors and aromas are milky and smoky. It's recommended to dip Ahumado de Pría in cinnamon, cumin, and breadcrumbs, then fry it. Pair the cheese with a glass of fruity white wine from Galicia.

Herreño is a Spanish cheese hailing from the Canary Island, specifically the island of El Hierro. The cheese is made from goat's milk and a small amount of cow's and sheeps' milk. The wheels are smoked over wood from trunks of prickly pear cactus and figs.

Herreño's smoked rind (it can also be natural and unsmoked) has decorative burnished lines coming from the racking. When young, it's bright white in color, while the flavors are fresh and acidic, and when smoked, the flavors become more delicate and buttery. 

Quesucos de Liebana is a semi-hard cheese made with full-fat milk from Tudanca, Swiss Brown and Friesian cows, sometimes combined with goat or sheep milk. It has been traditionally produced the municipalities in the district of Liébana, in Cantabria.

The cheese is packed into self-draining molds, giving the cheese its characteristic wheel shape. It is matured for at least fifteen days, after which it can be smoked using juniper branches to intensify the flavor and give it a deep, smoky aroma. Quesucos de Liebana has a mild, buttery flavor and a characteristic, mellow aroma.

Brezain is a semi-hard raclette-style French cheese made from pasteurized cow's milk. The cheese is produced in the region of Haute-Savoie, where it must mature for at least 5 months. Its name is derived from the word braise, which means embers, referring to the method of smoking the cheese over beech and juniper wood, giving it a visually attractive amber color and a unique flavor.

Brezain has a creamy texture, while the flavors are nutty, smoky, and caramel-like. It's recommended to melt it over potatoes, use it for fondues, sandwiches, or as a pizza topping. Pair it with Pinot Noir or a glass of craft beer.

Ricotta affumicata di Mammola is made from the whey of goat's milk. The cheese has a soft, velvety texture, a slightly salty and fresh flavor, and a distinct smoky aroma imparted during the production process. After coagulating goat's milk with fig branches and ladling the curds into molds lined with mountain ferns, the cheese is smoked over fresh chestnut or heather wood, creating its unique flavor profile.

Traditionally produced by shepherds in mountainous areas to preserve fresh ricotta, it has become a beloved regional specialty enjoyed sliced on toasted bread, drizzled with olive oil, or paired with jams and aromatic white wines. Its cylindrical shape with a mushroom-like top is distinctive, and it is celebrated annually in Mammola during the Festa della Ricotta Affumicata, held on the first Sunday of July. 

Caggiu de crabittu is a traditional Sardinian goat cheese made from the abomasum of a young goat (kid) and goat milk. The kid must be fed exclusively on its mother’s milk from birth until slaughter. Before slaughter, the kid continues to suckle to ensure the abomasum is full.

After slaughter, the stomach is emptied and the milk is filtered and reinserted into the stomach to activate lactic ferments, transforming it into a creamy paste. The filled stomach is tied with string, dried, and smoked for about 20 days. The resulting rennet can weigh between 250 and 700 grams (10 oz to 1.5 lbs).