Why is Mozzarella di bufala so good in Italy?
Italy and mozzarella di Bufala go hand in hand. The majority of this delicious cheese is produced in the northern part of Campagnia, in the provinces of Caserta, Napoli and Salerno from the milk from the water buffalo.
The water buffalo was introduced into Italy in the seventh century, from Egypt into Sicily, but references to cheese products made from its milk only started to appear at the beginning of the twelfth century. The monks in the Monastery of San Lorenzo in Capua offered pilgrims a cheese called mozza accompanied by a piece of bread. However Buffalo mozzarella di bufala is now a €300m a year industry in Italy, which produces around 33,000 tonnes of it every year, with 16 percent sold abroad
In ancient times, the water buffalo was widely used as an animal to plow watery terrains, because of its strength and the size of its hooves, which do not sink too deeply into moist soils.
These days the water buffalo is the most pampered animal is southern Italy. They bath in clean artificial pools and grase on rich grassy fields. They even enjoy daily massages to keep them clean and relaxed and are free to milk themselves whenever they feel.
The reason for such luxurious treatment is because, relaxed buffalos give better milk, which therefore provides the extremely moist texture , immensely flavourful juicy cheese.
Once the water buffalos have milked, the unpasteurized milk is left for a few hours to ferment, chopped into pieces, then covered with boiling water. Small pieces of cheesy substance slowly grow into a huge mozzarella ball, then broken down into smaller balls. Mozzarella comes from the Italian word mozzare, which means to manually cut of the stretched curb using the index finger and thumb The smaller balls are then soaked in salt water, then returned to their whey. The whey is essential for maintaining the freshness of the mozzarella.
When purchasing your mozzarella di bufala be sure it contains the “Mozzarella di Bufala Campana” & DOP trademark. Buffalo mozzarella is made from unpasteurized milk, its shelf-life is only a few days, so it should be eaten within a day of being made, for the best taste. It should also be brought unrefrigerated as the cold temperature can change the taste and consistency of the mozzarella. Once you have got your mozzarella home, drizzle some olive oil on it and add some tomatoes and enjoy.. Buon appetito