Soft, milky water-buffalo cheese from Campania, eaten within days of being made. Water buffalo have grazed the Campanian marshes since the Middle Ages, and a twelfth-century record from a Capua monastery already mentions a cheese called mozza.
It is a PDO cheese from registered buffalo herds in a defined area, and the stretch depends on catching the curd inside a pH window of about a tenth of a point — measured, not judged.
What goes into it
- water-buffalo milk from registered Campanian herds
- natural whey starter
- rennet
- salt
How it is made
Buffalo milk is set with rennet and a natural whey starter, and the curd is left to acidify until it reaches the narrow pH window where it will stretch. It is then cut, covered in near-boiling water and worked with a stick until it turns into a smooth elastic mass, and pieces are pinched off by hand — mozzare means to cut off — and dropped into cold brine.
How long it takes: hours, and the cheese is at its best the same day
How it is eaten
At room temperature with tomato and basil, torn over pizza, or on its own with oil and salt.
History
Water buffalo have grazed the Campanian marshes since the Middle Ages; a twelfth-century record from a Capua monastery mentions a cheese called mozza.
Frequently asked questions
What is Mozzarella di Bufala Campana?
Mozzarella di Bufala Campana is a cheese & dairy from Italy: soft, milky water-buffalo cheese from Campania, eaten within days. Water buffalo have grazed the Campanian marshes since the Middle Ages; a twelfth-century record from a Capua monastery mentions a cheese called mozza.
How is Mozzarella di Bufala Campana made?
Buffalo milk is set with rennet and a natural whey starter, and the curd is left to acidify until it reaches the narrow pH window where it will stretch. It is then cut, covered in near-boiling water and worked with a stick until it turns into a smooth elastic mass, and pieces are pinched off by hand — mozzare means to cut off — and dropped into cold brine. It takes hours, and the cheese is at its best the same day.
Can I make Mozzarella di Bufala Campana at home?
No, and the atlas gives no method for it. It is a PDO cheese from registered buffalo herds in a defined area, and the stretch depends on catching the curd inside a pH window of about a tenth of a point — measured, not judged.
What goes into Mozzarella di Bufala Campana?
Water-buffalo milk from registered Campanian herds, natural whey starter, rennet, salt.
How is Mozzarella di Bufala Campana eaten?
At room temperature with tomato and basil, torn over pizza, or on its own with oil and salt.
