Learn Portuguese (Portugal): A gente prova o chouriço e o queijo. - We informal taste the chorizo and the cheese.

A gente translates to "we" in informal conversations, but grammatically it literally means "the people". Because of this, it always takes the 3rd-person singular form of the verb, which is prova, rather than the 1st-person plural provamos.

Does using A gente change the meaning compared to using Nós?

The meaning is exactly the same! A gente prova and Nós provamos both mean exactly the same thing. The difference is purely in the tone. A gente is extremely common in everyday, casual spoken Portuguese, while Nós is standard and works perfectly in both formal and informal situations.

Can the verb provar mean anything else besides "to taste"?

Yes! While in this sentence about food it means "to taste" or "to try", provar is a versatile verb. It can also mean "to prove" a fact or a theory, and "to try on" an item of clothing.

Do I really need the second o before queijo, or could I just say o chouriço e queijo?