Mozzarella as I first knew it was "the pizza cheese", that stuff you bought pre-shredded in little plastic bags and dumped out on top of home made pizzas. There was probably even a helpful pizza recipe on the back of each bag, just in case the dough+sauce+cheese+toppings concept was a little hard to get a handle on. Later I would be a little unsettled to hear tell of this fresh mozzarella stuff, floating as it were in a sea of translucent cheese water in olive bars and fresh food sections of delis. I feel like the education system of the US let me down.
Good, fresh Mozzarella is, of course, one of the simplest joys in the cheese world; a real glimpse of how alive, dynamic, and close to nature cheese is. It's so young and fresh that eating it is often like chewing on a richer milk, and all that weird water in and around fresh Mozzarella is whey that is still trapped in the curd and trying to get out. That fresh. Don't be scared of the whey, it guarantees that the Mozzarella you get is in the best possible condition for your enjoyment. This is a good thing.
Mozzarella is a member of a special group of cheeses (ok, so really most all cheeses are special); the pulled curd cheeses. This describes the process through which Mozzarella is made, and a labor intensive process it is. The curd is first cut into strips and passed through a machine called a chittara (guitar) that uses wires to cut the curd into small pieces. These pieces are placed into nearly boiling water to force whey out, at which point the curds are pulled, twisted, and knotted by hand until the master cheesemaker deems the batch to be done, a measure of skill that must be learned but cannot simply be taught. Once properly pulled, individual pieces are torn off (from the Italian verb mozzare), shaped, and immersed either in cold water or brine depending on the desired shelf life, finishing the whole ordeal and producing what fresh cheese lovers worldwide so adore. Other members of the pulled curd group include Provolone, Scamorza, and string cheeses.
But there's more. Before the cow herds of the world took over the cheese scene Mozzarella was made exclusively with the fattier, richer, and overall simply decadent milk of the water buffalo. Mozzarella di Bufala Campagna is that cheese, reviving the centuries-old tradition and now protected by Italian law. Yay! This is truly the best Mozzarella that you can find, outside of making friends with an artisanal Mozzarella maker and buying it fresh and still warm from being made minutes before. Even when that is an option, seek out Mozzarella di Bufala Campagna and enjoy a taste of something ever so much more so than any Mozzarella you've had before.
Origin: Campagna, Italy
Milk: Buffalo, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: Fresh cheese!!
Notes: There are some other buffalo cheeses out there, if you happen across one try it out; the flavor is a refreshing departure from cow's milk and should lend a real depth to any type of cheese.
Good, fresh Mozzarella is, of course, one of the simplest joys in the cheese world; a real glimpse of how alive, dynamic, and close to nature cheese is. It's so young and fresh that eating it is often like chewing on a richer milk, and all that weird water in and around fresh Mozzarella is whey that is still trapped in the curd and trying to get out. That fresh. Don't be scared of the whey, it guarantees that the Mozzarella you get is in the best possible condition for your enjoyment. This is a good thing.
Mozzarella is a member of a special group of cheeses (ok, so really most all cheeses are special); the pulled curd cheeses. This describes the process through which Mozzarella is made, and a labor intensive process it is. The curd is first cut into strips and passed through a machine called a chittara (guitar) that uses wires to cut the curd into small pieces. These pieces are placed into nearly boiling water to force whey out, at which point the curds are pulled, twisted, and knotted by hand until the master cheesemaker deems the batch to be done, a measure of skill that must be learned but cannot simply be taught. Once properly pulled, individual pieces are torn off (from the Italian verb mozzare), shaped, and immersed either in cold water or brine depending on the desired shelf life, finishing the whole ordeal and producing what fresh cheese lovers worldwide so adore. Other members of the pulled curd group include Provolone, Scamorza, and string cheeses.
But there's more. Before the cow herds of the world took over the cheese scene Mozzarella was made exclusively with the fattier, richer, and overall simply decadent milk of the water buffalo. Mozzarella di Bufala Campagna is that cheese, reviving the centuries-old tradition and now protected by Italian law. Yay! This is truly the best Mozzarella that you can find, outside of making friends with an artisanal Mozzarella maker and buying it fresh and still warm from being made minutes before. Even when that is an option, seek out Mozzarella di Bufala Campagna and enjoy a taste of something ever so much more so than any Mozzarella you've had before.
Milk: Buffalo, pasteurized
Rennet: Animal
Affinage: Fresh cheese!!
Notes: There are some other buffalo cheeses out there, if you happen across one try it out; the flavor is a refreshing departure from cow's milk and should lend a real depth to any type of cheese.
Thoughts: This Mozzarella packs quite a punch. A meaty sweetness starts off the flavor and it only develops over the course of the bite. A cleaner sweetness builds up and lingers on the palate, and a very rich milkiness and a beautiful texture really round out the flavor. Such a young cheese does have a rather simple and understandably clean character to it, but in it's simplicity it excels. Just the slightest hint of depth is what sets this Mozzarella apart from its cow-made brethren, and you would do well to find some and eat it as soon as possible; it will never be as good as it was yesterday. Mozzarella di Bufala Campagna stands head and shoulders above the typical store bought garbage and will bring cheese lovers to their knees, whether it's eaten with tomatoes and such or just as it is; a slice of pure cheese pleasure.
Caution
It's bad form to eat this stuff like one would and apple. No matter how tempting and delicious that might be. Not that I would know.
Have you found this in the grocery stores here? I don't think they package this in those little baggies, but maybe I've never looked closely enough. Also, I've had trouble finding this in grocery stores in the US. I had a roommate who specifically asked once for buffalo mozzarella and the guy said something about they didn't actually carry that. I think she just meant fresh mozzarella anyway. So yeah...any advice on getting it not at a fancy cheese store?
ReplyDeleteThe only place I've found buffalo Mozz in the US is at a fancy cheese store. The cow's milk Mozz you can find in the fresh sections or olive bars of delis at some grocery stores, floating in whey, can be pretty good, and judging by the trend it won't be too long until the big stores start stocking buffalo Mozz as well, but for now specialty stores may be your only chance. I'd say always ask, especially at smaller or more "natural" markets, but in a pinch make for your nearest specialty store.
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